Link copiedShareShare resultsBy chief election analyst Antony Green posted Fri at 2:00pmFriday 2 May 2025 at 2:00pmFri 2 May 2025 at 2:00pm Updated 15m ago15 minutes agoMon 5 May 2025 at 11:36am updated 3h ago3 hours agoMon 5 May 2025 at 8:31am | The retiring Labor MHR is Maria Vamvakinou who has represented this seat since 2001. Calwell covers 191 square kilometres on the north-west fringe of Melbourne, north beyond the Western Ring Road between Moonee Moonee Creek and Sydney Road. It includes the suburbs of Broadmeadows, Dallas, Coolaroo, Greenvale, Meadow Heights, Roxburgh Park, Craigieburn and Mickleham. The eastern boundary of the electorate moves west from Merri Creek to the Sydney Road with the loss in total of around 6,000 voters to McEwen and Scullin. The Labor margin is unchanged on 12.4%. See polling place result map below for detail of the boundary change. (Victories by a party of government are indicated by thick coloured underlining.) CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time the two teal battlegrounds of Kooyong and Goldstein are officially back to “too close to call” and I’ve been on the phone this afternoon with two election analysts – Dr Kevin Bonham and Ben Raue of The Tally Room independent Zoe Daniel is in serious strife estimates Daniel is on track to fall behind by around 900 votes once all ballots are counted Daniel is currently picking up just 35 per cent of postals – well below what she’d need to stay competitive With a sizeable chunk of postal votes yet to be processed the trajectory has her slipping further behind There’s an interesting theory doing the rounds in political circles today that could help explain the trend Kooyong independent MP Zoe Daniel and Liberal challenger – and former MP – Tim WilsonCredit: Marija Ercegovac Goldstein — like Kooyong — has one of the largest Jewish communities in Victoria Because religious Jewish voters don’t vote on Saturdays it may be disproportionately showing up in the postals I ran that theory past a well-connected source within the Jewish community I know many who traditionally receive postals,” they said “I think given how tight the margins are in both seats it’s hard to ever measure — but so many people were single-issue this time and the Coalition would have received a large share of that vote for sure.” Dr Bonham concurs that Daniel is in trouble and told me the latest figures are “not looking good.” fellow teal Monique Ryan is in a stronger – though not yet secure – position Ryan is underperforming on postal votes – but not nearly as badly About 2000 postal were counted on Monday and she currently leads by around 1400 votes Raue expects Ryan to gain votes in declaration pre-polls and absentee votes and his modelling suggests she could finish roughly 800 votes ahead when all is said and done But Goldstein – according to both Bonham and Raue – is starting to slip into Tim Wilson’s column with thousands of votes left to count across both seats the contest in Calwell is shaping as one of Victoria’s most fascinating Tally Room election analyst Ben Raue said counting there may take another two weeks as Labor’s primary vote in the north-west fringe Melbourne seat falls currently has about 30 per cent of the primary vote representing a 14.2 per cent swing against the party Raue said the AEC might need to re-calculate the leading two candidates as support for independents soars the two-candidate preferred count between Labor and Liberal is not very interesting and it’s not what’s relevant,” Raue said “What’s relevant here is you’ve got two independents Raue said the AEC might need to split the two-party preferred count three ways I don’t think I’ve ever seen a race like this where the third and the fourth candidates look like they could win And I don’t know which of them it is,” he said Independent candidates Carly Moore (a former Labor local mayor) and Joseph Youhana currently have 12.1 per cent and 11.9 per cent of the votes The AEC has said it will have to do a total recount on Tuesday Raue said multiple calculations could be completed with preferences which could mean the final result in Calwell could take up to two weeks “Each of these is not just a simple question This is moving tens of thousands of ballot papers around the table and it’s a big exercise to do work,” he said “Part of the complexity is there are heaps of candidates running.” Two other Victorian seats to watch are Flinders and Bendigo and Raue said we can expect more information on those later today If you’re obsessively refreshing the tally room feed today – you’re not alone But the bad news is the count is slowing down I just got off the phone with Evan Ekin-Smyth a spokesman for the Australian Electoral Commission who gave a clearer picture of what’s happening behind the scenes There were 100,000 AEC staffers working at polling places and on the initial count on Saturday But that number drops significantly after election day as it’s less of a wave of votes and more of a trickle Voters who applied for a postal vote have 13 days after election day to get their ballot to the AEC this year “They absolutely had to have completed their vote by the close of polls on election day “But they didn’t have to put it in the mailbox by then So they could have completed it at 5.59pm on election day and they could be coming out this morning to find a post box It’s quite generous – we have to receive it by 13 days after election day.” Ekin-Smyth said the vast majority of postal votes would arrive well before the deadline and most seats should be called before then There’s also a logistical lag: overseas ballots from 111 countries votes cast interstate at more than 600 centres verifying and allocating those ballots correctly they’re for 150 different divisions,” Ekin-Smyth said “We’ve got to stick them in all the different pigeonholes for the right division and then send them off “And even if we did have 100,000 people working again they’d just be sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting for the mail.” So what’s happening in our hot seats today The nearly 30,000 postal votes have served a dose of political uncertainty Speaking on ABC Radio Melbourne this morning Ryan sounded far less confident than she had 36 hours earlier Monique Ryan speaking on Sunday morning after election night to her volunteers at campaign headquarters.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui “Not at all,” she replied when host Raf Epstein asked if she was still sure of victory referring to the ABC’s respected election analyst who called the seat for Ryan on the night The ABC and our mastheads have since downgraded their calls “But postal votes have been very much pro the conservative side her Liberal opponent Amelia Hamer — who has remained silent publicly since election night — appears to believe momentum is now with her I’ve just seen an email sent by Hamer to party volunteers late on Sunday night The subject line: “We now need just 943 votes to win the seat of Kooyong.” “Last night was not the result we had hoped for the Coalition,” the email reads “We had an average 3% swing against us across the country “It is now clear there will be a swing towards us in Kooyong There are only a small handful of seats nationwide where this is the case Currently the swing to us in Kooyong is +1.5% and we have 49% of the vote That is a direct result of your efforts over the past year.” “There are still 22,000 votes to be counted “Most of the uncounted votes are postal votes They are coming in very strongly in our favour If these postal votes continue on their current TPP trajectory of 62–38 That is not blind hope — that’s the raw numbers.” Amelia Hamer casting her vote on Saturday at Balwyn Primary School.Credit: Rachael Dexter She thanked volunteers for “all your blood sweat and tears” and said the campaign had done “everything we possibly could have in the face of extremely challenging conditions.” Ryan described the Liberal campaign against her as “pretty vicious” “I have to say it’s great to see community independents succeeding interstate and I was so happy to see colleagues doing really well there,” she said “But I think that both Zoe [Daniel] and I have faced really pretty vicious battles in our electorates in Melbourne “The Liberals teamed up with the coal lobby and fossil fuel lobbies and they really came for us — really hard,” said Ryan Ryan questioned whether the Liberal Party’s focus on Goldstein and Kooyong had been the right strategic move for the conservative party “One of the things that will be interesting in the wash-up is for the Liberal Party to assess whether that’s where they should have put all their time and effort,” she said “People from Deakin and Menzies and Chisholm might think that effort could have been better placed elsewhere.” Ryan said that neither she nor Daniel was feeling “entirely comfortable” and she was bracing for a long week ahead Kooyong MP Monique Ryan was all smiles this morning after likely securing a second term in one of the most closely watched races in the country with Ryan ahead of Liberal Amelia Hamer after preferences 51 per cent to 49 per cent “We had a good night,” she said with a grin reflecting on the teal election party that took over the Auburn Hotel in Hawthorn But her attention quickly turned to what lies ahead With the Coalition “eviscerated,” Ryan believes the expanded crossbench will function as a de facto opposition in Parliament “I think it’s more important than ever that the crossbench act to hold the government to account on things that our communities want us to see them act on,” she said “We want a government that will act effectively and quickly on climate action and on their net zero transition.. The Albanese government will have no excuse not to take on the big issues and the crossbench will hold them to account on that.” The Age barrelled through a host of topics in light of the historic election outcome: she still hadn’t heard from her Liberal opponent who made a delayed appearance at her own party late last night and has not publicly conceded We’ve reached out to Hamer today but not heard back and her advisor says she won’t speak while counting continues “There are still a lot of votes to be counted including a lot of postal votes that have not yet been counted and the result has not yet been confirmed,” Ryan said “So I think it’s entirely reasonable that I haven’t heard from her yet.” Ryan described the campaign as “brutal,” singling out the volume of negative advertising directed at her But she noted a shift in tone during the final stretch between her team and the Liberal party volunteers on the ground “We actually started to work more effectively and collegially with the Liberal Party volunteers at pre-poll None of us felt comfortable with the tone — people didn’t like it It didn’t sit well with us or with our community.” She sees this as evidence that Kooyong voters are rejecting the “politics of division.” Even in the newer parts of the electorate — including former Higgins territory like Toorak and Armadale — Ryan says her message resonated “It’s clear we were able to do pretty well They want an economic strategy that’s inclusive and addresses intergenerational inequality.” Ryan says her approach in the next term will again be pragmatic and collaborative “I actually had a great deal of fun in the 47th Parliament working with people across the House — Bob Katter even Barnaby [Joyce] on Assange,” she said on the issues that matter to my community.” Asked about Peter Dutton’s shock loss in Dickson Ryan said she felt sorry for “everyone who lost their seat” She said Dutton’s loss reminded her of her former opponent Josh Frydenberg who lost the seat of Kooyong in 2022 when he was serving treasurer: “It’s probably really hard — we saw this in Kooyong last time — to have a really senior role in a political party and be a good local member People are saying they want their representatives to be local and community-based.” She said the Liberal campaign overall “has been profoundly rejected by the country” “They didn’t come to the election with meaningful policies on climate While the cost of living dominated the national narrative Ryan says climate change (which was her biggest policy platform in 2022) remains front of mind in Kooyong — and the two issues are inextricably linked groceries — all affected by climate change I do think climate action is still front of mind even if people aren’t using those exact words.” Ryan says she’ll focus on rebuilding cohesion in the community.“There are social issues in this community But she also called out senior Liberal figures for targeting Chinese Australians during the campaign – after a video emerged showing two people in Ryan campaign T-shirts handing out the teal MP’s how-to-vote cards and saying they were directed to vote for Ryan by an organisation which has been accused of working with an agency which advances the interests of the Chinese Community Party “Every time Chinese Australians got involved in politics we saw people like Jane Hume and James Paterson punch down on them And finally, for those wondering if Ryan’s crowd and George’s 21st birthday upstairs at the Auburn Hotel ended up overlapping last night half the people at the party probably knew George and his parents,” Ryan giggled “But I apologise if there was any disruption [to George’s party].” Liberal candidate Tim Wilson is “incredibly optimistic” of winning Goldstein as postal votes heavily favouring the former MP have rolled in Wilson believes he can snatch the seat back from teal independent Zoe Daniel who thought she had retained Goldstein on election night and I think it’s really important to understand this,” Wilson said in a video posted to social media late on Sunday afternoon and Goldstein went that way,” he said pointing Wilson said in Victoria there was a statewide swing against the Liberals of about 2 per cent but in Goldstein there was a primary vote swing to the Liberals of 3.8 per cent or nearly 4 per cent we have bucked the trend by nearly 6 per cent and that has come down to all of the people who have been part of this campaign willingly and bought energy and enthusiasm.” Daniel made a victory speech on Saturday night when the vote count had her ahead but since then postal votes have closed the margin “In Goldstein the largest booth is postal votes,” Wilson said “There were 27,000 postal-vote applications at the time of Wilson recording his video it had dropped to 700 votes and at 7pm it was down to 95 votes He said postal votes in Goldstein usually track in the Liberal Party’s favour by a ratio of about two-to-one “That’s the reason we remain incredibly optimistic but we are not seeking to comment on the result until we see the final results,” Wilson said Wilson declined a request for an interview but posed for photographs at Brighton Baths with his husband I’m tired and I’m elated it’s over,” he said Wilson also acknowledged the catastrophic result for the Liberal Party across Australia Liberal candidate for Goldstein Tim Wilson and his husband Ryan Bolger.Credit: PENNY STEPHENS Wilson said he wanted to honour former opposition leader Peter Dutton for his service but said: “It’s one of those times where the Liberal Party is going to have a look at itself.” now is a time to turn to each other to support each other,” he said Wilson said the Liberal Party was founded as the “front line” against political intersectional interests and vested interests “The results clearly show that is not over that there is still a lot of room for optimism and that we still have a lot of justification for hope but we are just going to have to be patient,” he said Daniel also declined an interview request today and issued a brief statement “The result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,” she said “I again thank the voters of Goldstein for their support as well as the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on my campaign.” There was a hungover delirium inside Monique Ryan’s campaign office in Glenferrie Road where more than 100 teal-clad volunteers – bleary-eyed from dancing into the wee hours at the Auburn Hotel – gathered for a morning-after regroup This was the army behind Ryan’s win in Kooyong: more than 55,000 doors knocked 2300 corflutes placed on fences and 1000 volunteers out on election day alone Monique Ryan and supporters at her campaign headquarters on Sunday.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Campaign manager Conal Feehely called out one volunteer who spent all of last night scrutinising results at the central counting booth there were still 10,000 postal votes to count and Feehely said there were “mathematical possibilities” Ryan could lose her hold Ryan herself added: “The prediction so far is that we’ll be OK .. The woman of the hour took the mic to address the room the result and what the community’s vote signalled about the future of Australian politics In a speech that ranged from gratitude to grim honesty Ryan said the nastiness of ground-game politics seen in Kooyong had played out nationwide – but had been rejected by voters Here is an edited excerpt from her remarks: I think we’ve woken up this morning to a country that is fundamentally different personally I feel like the country has rejected the politics of division and has said it wants us to do things differently I don’t know exactly how things are going to go We have a government with an increased majority We have an opposition that’s been eviscerated and we don’t yet know what the final shape of the parliament will be But what we do know – what you’ve all helped make clear – is that we don’t want politics as it used to be There’s been a real tendency to flood the zone in parts of Australia – and we’ve seen that in Kooyong Those of us who’ve been doorknocking or on pre-poll and polling booths in the last few weeks have come up against torrents of negativity Every household in this electorate has been letterboxed repeatedly with negative advertisements What we want is for our community to rebuild And I think most of us want politics to be more respectful and more conciliatory – to reach bipartisanship on the things that really matter and they’ve got a bigger majority – what are you going to do?’ We’re going to hold them to account They want certainty about their economic future They want to know the government cares about them – and will deliver adequate health care And that’s what the crossbench will fight for in this term of parliament.” from action group Grandmothers for Refugees Ryan hugs Davina Lipmann from action group Grandmothers for Refugees.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Lipmann said of Ryan: “She’s worked so hard and she’s taken on so many issues that were new for her – she didn’t know them before Lipmann hopes Ryan can deliver the influence she spoke about on the Albanese government for the issue she cares about most “The refugees who came by boat who are still living very constrained lives,” she said “Hopefully this new government will be able to reverse the barbarity and cruelty that’s happened before.” Independent teal MP Zoe Daniel says a result could be days away in Goldstein despite her having claimed victory at her election party last night with just over 74 per cent of ballots counted Daniel was leading with 51 per cent of the two-party preferred vote ahead of Liberal candidate Tim Wilson on 49 per cent Liberal candidate for Goldstein Tim Wilson and husband Ryan Bolger She was not available for interview on Sunday but issued a brief statement at midday “The result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,” she said Wilson has also declined all interview requests today act and work for me,” he said in a text message Last night Wilson said he thought he might get up on postal votes which were trending two-to-one in his favour Last night Daniel thought she had won after waiting until almost 11pm to claim victory “We just wanted to be sort of solid in the result before we spoke,” she told me after her victory speech “My team are very good on data so they spend a lot of time just crunching the numbers.” Labor and the Greens were both still hopeful of picking up Wills as counting continued at an Australian Electoral Commission site in West Footscray on Sunday Neither Labor’s Peter Khalil nor the Greens’ Samantha Ratnam would offer a view on who was ahead although there was a sense from Labor that it was more likely to do better on postal votes now being counted Both Ratnam and Khalil were at Vicki Cleary Day at the Coburg football ground on Sunday The event is organised by Phil Cleary, former independent MP for Wills, whose sister Vicki was killed in 1987 by her ex-partner Greens candidate for Wills Samantha Ratnam at the Coburg football ground on Sunday morning.Credit: Clay Lucas “It’s dedicated to all of the women we have lost to men’s violence and the women running the gauntlet of men’s violence,” Cleary said on Sunday morning Families of women killed by men spoke at the event Labor MP for Wills Peter Khalil at the football ground.Credit: Clay Lucas “There are still plenty of votes to count,” Khalil told The Age while Ratnam said she was feeling hopeful as scrutineering continued but that it would take some time before a final result was known The Liberal vote in Wills dropped by about 4 per cent Socialist Alliance candidate and Merri-bek councillor Sue Bolton was pleased to post a 5.5 per cent swing in her favour “I haven’t looked at the booth-by-booth results yet but I think it’s two things: Gaza … and the capitalist dream – that if you work hard and study hard you will get the good job and the good house – is over,” she said on Sunday morning “People are looking for more radical alternatives than the major parties offer.” Bolton said she wasn’t sure who would win Wills “It would be a positive if the seat switches from Labor to the Greens,” she added all parties in Wills urged voters to preference Labor ahead of the Greens on their how-to-vote cards It’s the morning after the election and Goldstein still hangs in the balance The dance floor was heaving when I left Zoe Daniel’s victory party just before midnight The teal independent MP claimed victory in a jubilant speech at the Elwood Bowls Club “We did it!” she told the crowd of hundreds of teal T-shirt-clad supporters But Liberal candidate Tim Wilson is not so certain As counting gets under way for a second day Just over 74 per cent of the vote was counted by 10am when Daniel led with 51 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote Wilson thinks he may get up on postal votes which he said were trending two-to-one in his favour “Daniel is welcome to claim whatever she wants – it is the voters that will decide the result,” he said last night the two teal battlegrounds of Kooyong and Goldstein are officially back to \\u201Ctoo close to call\\u201D and I\\u2019ve been on the phone this afternoon with two election analysts \\u2013 Dr Kevin Bonham and Ben Raue of The Tally Room who\\u2019s running his own projection model Daniel is currently picking up just 35 per cent of postals \\u2013 well below what she\\u2019d need to stay competitive There\\u2019s an interesting theory doing the rounds in political circles today that could help explain the trend Goldstein \\u2014 like Kooyong \\u2014 has one of the largest Jewish communities in Victoria Because religious Jewish voters don\\u2019t vote on Saturdays who confirmed it\\u2019s \\u201Cvery possible.\\u201D \\u201CReligious Jews don\\u2019t vote on Saturdays I know many who traditionally receive postals,\\u201D they said \\u201CI think given how tight the margins are in both seats it\\u2019s hard to ever measure \\u2014 but so many people were single-issue this time and the Coalition would have received a large share of that vote for sure.\\u201D and told me the latest figures are \\u201Cnot looking good.\\u201D fellow teal Monique Ryan is in a stronger \\u2013 though not yet secure \\u2013 position Ryan is underperforming on postal votes \\u2013 but not nearly as badly But Goldstein \\u2013 according to both Bonham and Raue \\u2013 is starting to slip into Tim Wilson\\u2019s column Stay tuned \\u2013 counting resumes Tuesday the contest in Calwell is shaping as one of Victoria\\u2019s most fascinating as Labor\\u2019s primary vote in the north-west fringe Melbourne seat falls the two-candidate preferred count between Labor and Liberal is not very interesting and it\\u2019s not what\\u2019s relevant,\\u201D Raue said \\u201CWhat\\u2019s relevant here is you\\u2019ve got two independents and the Liberals on 16 and Labor on 31.\\u201D I don\\u2019t think I\\u2019ve ever seen a race like this And I don\\u2019t know which of them it is,\\u201D he said \\u201CEach of these is not just a simple question and it\\u2019s a big exercise to do work,\\u201D he said \\u201CPart of the complexity is there are heaps of candidates running.\\u201D If you\\u2019re obsessively refreshing the tally room feed today \\u2013 you\\u2019re not alone who gave a clearer picture of what\\u2019s happening behind the scenes it\\u2019s less of a wave of votes and more of a trickle \\u201CThey absolutely had to have completed their vote by the close of polls on election day 6pm on election day,\\u201D Ekin-Smyth said \\u201CBut they didn\\u2019t have to put it in the mailbox by then It\\u2019s quite generous \\u2013 we have to receive it by 13 days after election day.\\u201D There\\u2019s also a logistical lag: overseas ballots from 111 countries they\\u2019re for 150 different divisions,\\u201D Ekin-Smyth said \\u201CWe\\u2019ve got to stick them in all the different pigeonholes for the right division and then send them off \\u201CAnd even if we did have 100,000 people working again they\\u2019d just be sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting for the mail.\\u201D So what\\u2019s happening in our hot seats today The mood has shifted dramatically in Kooyong since Saturday night when Dr Monique Ryan and her supporters what looked like a confident win \\u201CNot at all,\\u201D she replied when host Raf Epstein asked if she was still sure of victory \\u201CI think it\\u2019s 50-50 in Kooyong in Antony Green we trusted,\\u201D she said referring to the ABC\\u2019s respected election analyst who called the seat for Ryan on the night \\u201CBut postal votes have been very much pro the conservative side Kooyongis still very much up in the air.\\u201D her Liberal opponent Amelia Hamer \\u2014 who has remained silent publicly since election night \\u2014 appears to believe momentum is now with her I\\u2019ve just seen an email sent by Hamer to party volunteers late on Sunday night The subject line: \\u201CWe now need just 943 votes to win the seat of Kooyong.\\u201D \\u201CLast night was not the result we had hoped for the Coalition,\\u201D the email reads \\u201CWe had an average 3% swing against us across the country \\u201CIt is now clear there will be a swing towards us in Kooyong That is a direct result of your efforts over the past year.\\u201D \\u201CThere are still 22,000 votes to be counted and we need just 943 extra votes to win.\\u201D \\u201CMost of the uncounted votes are postal votes If these postal votes continue on their current TPP trajectory of 62\\u201338 That is not blind hope \\u2014 that\\u2019s the raw numbers.\\u201D Hamer also apologised for missing any supporters at her election night event: \\u201CI missed you at the Tower last night while we waited for pre-poll to be counted,\\u201D she wrote She thanked volunteers for \\u201Call your blood sweat and tears\\u201D and said the campaign had done \\u201Ceverything we possibly could have in the face of extremely challenging conditions.\\u201D Ryan described the Liberal campaign against her as \\u201Cpretty vicious\\u201D \\u201CI have to say it\\u2019s great to see community independents succeeding interstate and I was so happy to see colleagues doing really well there,\\u201D she said \\u201CBut I think that both Zoe [Daniel] and I have faced really pretty vicious battles in our electorates in Melbourne \\u201CWe were up against not just the Liberals particularly from the [Exclusive] Brethren We had a number of other right-wing groups \\u2014 Repeal the Teal (For a rundown on those groups and who is behind them check out my colleague Cara Waters\\u2019 excellent .) \\u201CThe Liberals teamed up with the coal lobby and fossil fuel lobbies and they really came for us \\u2014 really hard,\\u201D said Ryan Ryan questioned whether the Liberal Party\\u2019s focus on Goldstein and Kooyong had been the right strategic move for the conservative party \\u201COne of the things that will be interesting in the wash-up is for the Liberal Party to assess whether that\\u2019s where they should have put all their time and effort,\\u201D she said \\u201CPeople from Deakin and Menzies and Chisholm might think that effort could have been better placed elsewhere.\\u201D Ryan said that neither she nor Daniel was feeling \\u201Centirely comfortable\\u201D and she was bracing for a long week ahead \\u201CWe had a good night,\\u201D she said with a grin With the Coalition \\u201Ceviscerated,\\u201D Ryan believes the expanded crossbench will function as a de facto opposition in Parliament \\u201CI think it\\u2019s more important than ever that the crossbench act to hold the government to account on things that our communities want us to see them act on,\\u201D she said \\u201CWe want a government that will act effectively and quickly on climate action and on their net zero transition.. and the crossbench will hold them to account on that.\\u201D she still hadn\\u2019t heard from her Liberal opponent We\\u2019ve reached out to Hamer today but not heard back and her advisor says she won\\u2019t speak while counting continues \\u201CThere are still a lot of votes to be counted and the result has not yet been confirmed,\\u201D Ryan said \\u201CSo I think it\\u2019s entirely reasonable that I haven\\u2019t heard from her yet.\\u201D Ryan described the campaign as \\u201Cbrutal,\\u201D singling out the volume of negative advertising directed at her \\u201CWe actually started to work more effectively and collegially with the Liberal Party volunteers at pre-poll None of us felt comfortable with the tone \\u2014 people didn\\u2019t like it It didn\\u2019t sit well with us or with our community.\\u201D She sees this as evidence that Kooyong voters are rejecting the \\u201Cpolitics of division.\\u201D Even in the newer parts of the electorate \\u2014 including former Higgins territory like Toorak and Armadale \\u2014 Ryan says her message resonated \\u201CIt\\u2019s clear we were able to do pretty well They want an economic strategy that\\u2019s inclusive and addresses intergenerational inequality.\\u201D \\u201CI actually had a great deal of fun in the 47th Parliament working with people across the House \\u2014 Bob Katter even Barnaby [Joyce] on Assange,\\u201D she said on the issues that matter to my community.\\u201D Asked about Peter Dutton\\u2019s shock loss in Dickson Ryan said she felt sorry for \\u201Ceveryone who lost their seat\\u201D She said Dutton\\u2019s loss reminded her of her former opponent Josh Frydenberg who lost the seat of Kooyong in 2022 when he was serving treasurer: \\u201CIt\\u2019s probably really hard \\u2014 we saw this in Kooyong last time \\u2014 to have a really senior role in a political party and be a good local member People are saying they want their representatives to be local and community-based.\\u201D She said the Liberal campaign overall \\u201Chas been profoundly rejected by the country\\u201D \\u201CThey didn\\u2019t come to the election with meaningful policies on climate Ryan says climate change (which was her biggest policy platform in 2022) remains front of mind in Kooyong \\u2014 and the two issues are inextricably linked groceries \\u2014 all affected by climate change even if people aren\\u2019t using those exact words.\\u201D Ryan says she\\u2019ll focus on rebuilding cohesion in the community.\\u201CThere are social issues in this community But she also called out senior Liberal figures for targeting Chinese Australians during the campaign \\u2013 after a video emerged showing two people in Ryan campaign T-shirts handing out the teal MP\\u2019s how-to-vote cards and saying they were directed to vote for Ryan by an organisation which has been accused of working with an agency which advances the interests of the Chinese Community Party \\u201CEvery time Chinese Australians got involved in politics It was unfair and deeply unhelpful.\\u201D for those wondering if Ryan\\u2019s crowd and ended up overlapping last night half the people at the party probably knew George and his parents,\\u201D Ryan giggled \\u201CBut I apologise if there was any disruption [to George\\u2019s party].\\u201D Liberal candidate Tim Wilson is \\u201Cincredibly optimistic\\u201D of winning Goldstein as postal votes heavily favouring the former MP have rolled in and I think it\\u2019s really important to understand this,\\u201D Wilson said in a video posted to social media late on Sunday afternoon and Goldstein went that way,\\u201D he said pointing willingly and bought energy and enthusiasm.\\u201D \\u201CIn Goldstein the largest booth is postal votes,\\u201D Wilson said \\u201CThere were 27,000 postal-vote applications and we\\u2019re watching them roll in.\\u201D \\u201CEvery single batch of votes counted it continues to collapse,\\u201D Wilson said He said postal votes in Goldstein usually track in the Liberal Party\\u2019s favour by a ratio of about two-to-one \\u201CThat\\u2019s the reason we remain incredibly optimistic but we are not seeking to comment on the result until we see the final results,\\u201D Wilson said I\\u2019m tired and I\\u2019m elated it\\u2019s over,\\u201D he said \\u201CLast night was a very challenging night but said: \\u201CIt\\u2019s one of those times where the Liberal Party is going to have a look at itself.\\u201D \\u201CNow\\u2019s not a time to turn on each other now is a time to turn to each other to support each other,\\u201D he said Wilson said the Liberal Party was founded as the \\u201Cfront line\\u201D against political intersectional interests and vested interests \\u201CThe results clearly show that is not over but we are just going to have to be patient,\\u201D he said \\u201CThe result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,\\u201D \\u201CI again thank the voters of Goldstein for their support as well as the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on my campaign.\\u201D There was a hungover delirium inside Monique Ryan\\u2019s campaign office in Glenferrie Road where more than 100 teal-clad volunteers \\u2013 bleary-eyed from dancing into the wee hours at the Auburn Hotel \\u2013 gathered for a morning-after regroup This was the army behind Ryan\\u2019s win in Kooyong: more than 55,000 doors knocked there were still 10,000 postal votes to count and Feehely said there were \\u201Cmathematical possibilities\\u201D Ryan could lose her hold Ryan herself added: \\u201CThe prediction so far is that we\\u2019ll be OK .. and I don\\u2019t take anything for granted.\\u201D the result and what the community\\u2019s vote signalled about the future of Australian politics Ryan said the nastiness of ground-game politics seen in Kooyong had played out nationwide \\u2013 but had been rejected by voters tearfully relieved,\\u201D Lipmann told The Age Lipmann said of Ryan: \\u201CShe\\u2019s worked so hard and she\\u2019s taken on so many issues that were new for her \\u2013 she didn\\u2019t know them before \\u201CThe refugees who came by boat who are still living very constrained lives,\\u201D she said \\u201CHopefully this new government will be able to reverse the barbarity and cruelty that\\u2019s happened before.\\u201D I think we\\u2019ve woken up this morning to a country that is fundamentally different personally I don\\u2019t know exactly how things are going to go We have an opposition that\\u2019s been eviscerated and we don\\u2019t yet know what the final shape of the parliament will be But what we do know \\u2013 what you\\u2019ve all helped make clear \\u2013 is that we don\\u2019t want politics as it used to be There\\u2019s been a real tendency to flood the zone in parts of Australia \\u2013 and we\\u2019ve seen that in Kooyong Those of us who\\u2019ve been doorknocking or on pre-poll and polling booths in the last few weeks have come up against torrents of negativity more conciliatory \\u2013 to reach bipartisanship on the things that really matter and they\\u2019ve got a bigger majority \\u2013 what are you going to do?\\u2019 We\\u2019re going to hold them to account They want to know the government cares about them \\u2013 and will deliver adequate health care And that\\u2019s what the crossbench will fight for in this term of parliament.\\u201D \\u201CThe result in Goldstein is obviously close and it will be some days before the result is confirmed,\\u201D she said \\u201CI\\u2019m just going to let the votes fight act and work for me,\\u201D he said in a text message \\u201CIt\\u2019ll be tight,\\u201D he said \\u201CThe whole nation went in one direction but I genuinely think I\\u2019ll get there.\\u201D \\u201CWe just wanted to be sort of solid in the result before we spoke,\\u201D she told me after her victory speech \\u201CMy team are very good on data so they spend a lot of time just crunching the numbers.\\u201D Neither Labor\\u2019s Peter Khalil nor the Greens\\u2019 Samantha Ratnam would offer a view on who was ahead \\u201CIt\\u2019s dedicated to all of the women we have lost to men\\u2019s violence and the women running the gauntlet of men\\u2019s violence,\\u201D Cleary said on Sunday morning \\u201CThere are still plenty of votes to count,\\u201D Khalil told The Age \\u201CI haven\\u2019t looked at the booth-by-booth results yet but I think it\\u2019s two things: Gaza \\u2026 and the capitalist dream \\u2013 that if you work hard and study hard you will get the good job and the good house \\u2013 is over,\\u201D she said on Sunday morning \\u201CPeople are looking for more radical alternatives than the major parties offer.\\u201D Bolton said she wasn\\u2019t sure who would win Wills but thought Khalil might \\u201Csqueak back in\\u201D \\u201CIt would be a positive if the seat switches from Labor to the Greens,\\u201D she added Aside from Bolton\\u2019s Socialist Alliance It\\u2019s the morning after the election and Goldstein still hangs in the balance The dance floor was heaving when I left Zoe Daniel\\u2019s victory party just before midnight \\u201CWe did it!\\u201D she told the crowd of hundreds of teal T-shirt-clad supporters \\u201CDaniel is welcome to claim whatever she wants \\u2013 it is the voters that will decide the result,\\u201D he said last night Standing as the Socialist Equality Party’s representative in the Melbourne electorate of Calwell I am the only candidate advancing an internationalist and socialist program that is necessary to resolve the devastating decades-old social and economic crisis affecting working class people in the area Calwell covers multiple outer-northern working-class suburbs including Broadmeadows The electorate has one of Australia’s most culturally diverse populations Over 72 percent of residents are first- or second-generation migrants Many arrived as refugees fleeing US imperialist-led wars backed by successive Australian governments The area has levels of social and economic distress far above national averages Unemployment data released last month showed that Broadmeadows Meadow Heights and Coolaroo all had official unemployment rates between 13–14 percent more than three times the state average in Victoria The official rate significantly downplays the real level of joblessness as it does not include those underemployed workers who have withdrawn from the labour market and others able to access disability and other pensions A poverty survey released last year by the Victorian Council of Social Service found that the Hume Council area which considerably overlaps the Calwell electorate has the highest levels of children under the age of 15 living in poverty in Melbourne The Roxburgh Park South-Somerton suburb had the highest rate of poverty with nearby areas also part of the ten most disadvantaged areas—Campbellfield-Coolaroo (33.6 percent) Roxburgh Park North (32.1 percent) and Broadmeadows (31.9 percent) The report also highlighted how full-time employment and home ownership no longer provide secure protection from poverty Full-time workers in Craigieburn and Roxburgh Park are three times more likely to be in poverty than workers elsewhere while people in Craigieburn who own their own home outright experience poverty at three times the levels found in other areas Poverty and unemployment are responsible for a devastating social crisis with widespread problems of drug and alcohol abuse The capitalist class is directly responsible for the social and economic crisis confronting the entire working class The situation in Calwell is the result of decades of ruthless corporate profit accumulation enforced by successive Labor and Liberal governments Manufacturing was previously the main source of employment in the area beginning in 1959 when Ford opened a car production plant in Broadmeadows the area was developed as an industrial satellite city based on public housing projects Ford’s presence attracted other factories—including tyre and auto components plants Reflecting the contempt of government authorities for the working-class residents Broadmeadows was developed without a hospital and other basic social infrastructure and services No major shopping centre was established until the mid-1970s The area was widely known for the militancy of the workers In 1973 there was a successful nine-week strike at Ford that included workers storming the plant while fighting off police as well as workers physically confronting Stalinist union bureaucrat Laurie Carmichael after he attempted to sabotage the struggle every part of Calwell has been ravaged by deindustrialisation and waves of factory closures In every instance these were justified by the Labor Party and enforced by the trade union apparatuses as “orderly closures.” The car industry was liquidated without a fight while other significant plants in the area operated by Pacific Brands South Pacific Tyres and Caterpillar have closed in recent years mass unemployment has intersected with escalating inflation caused by corporate and financial profiteering and other basic necessities have skyrocketed far beyond nominal wage growth I have spoken with numerous workers in the course of this election campaign who are are only barely surviving and do not have any hope for a positive future for their children Nothing will be resolved through the May 3 federal election regardless of whether Labor or Liberal-National form government the 12 candidates other than myself comprise a swamp of right-wingers and opportunists There are multiple far right and fascistic candidates—Trumpet of Patriots Family First—as well as so-called independents which work to divert mounting opposition to the Labor Party back behind the parliamentary set-up Many “independents” in previous elections have stood only in order to boost their personal profile ahead of council elections The most prominent “independent,” Samim Moslih has been endorsed by the Muslim Votes Matter lobby group and has sought to appeal to the large Islamic community in Calwell including over the Labor government’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza In revealing comments to the Crikey news outlet Moslih rejected the suggestion that he is left-wing not a handout,” and respects that “an individual’s wealth is their wealth.”  anti-working class codewords were combined with a crass pitch to the Labor Party in the event there is a hung parliament “You can be a kingmaker in a minority government or you can be the jester in the king’s court,” he stated indicating his eagerness to join a pro-business Maria Vamvakinou —whom Samim Moslih has described as a “beautiful person”—recently resigned from parliament which has held Calwell since its creation in 1984 with his selection being an obvious attempt to defuse outrage over the Gaza onslaught their campaign has been largely invisible as this party of the affluent upper-middle class has focussed its resources on inner-city seats with the aim of joining Labor in government if there is a hung parliament On every issue confronting the working class, including the war on Gaza and the economic and social crisis, the only independent perspective is that advanced by the Socialist Equality Party. On the question of war and militarism, our election statement declared: and the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine The billions squandered on war must immediately be redirected to the public hospitals Close the military bases that are transforming Australia into a launching pad for war Build a socialist anti-war movement that unites workers worldwide against the source of conflict Together with our sister Socialist Equality Parties around the world we fight for the rights of immigrants and refugees to live and work in any country of their choosing We demand the dismantling of the so-called border protection regime including the closure of a privately-operated immigration detention centre in Broadmeadows and the liberation of those imprisoned there we call on workers to form rank-and-file committees in every workplace independent of the union bureaucracy and controlled by workers themselves These must be part of the International Workers’ Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees which unites the struggles of workers worldwide in opposition to the poisonous nationalism promoted by the union apparatuses Workers must receive immediate pay increases of at least 30 percent to make up for the real wage cuts of recent years For a massive expansion of public housing and rent caps to ensure everyone has a decent place to live End the crisis in the public schools and hospitals High-quality education and healthcare are a social right Place the banks and the corporations under public ownership and democratic workers’ control Expropriate the fortunes of the billionaires The working class must control the social wealth it produces I urge workers and young people in Calwell and throughout Australia to vote for me and other Socialist Equality Party candidates on May 3 I urge you to become actively involved in the different aspects of our campaign and to make the decision to join our movement and help build the SEP as the new mass party of the working class Authorised by Cheryl Crisp for the Socialist Equality Party Current issue,  Podcasts,  NewslettersArthur Calwell & Peter Kocanby Shane Maloney and Chris Grosz Encounters the Labor Opposition leader is shot at point-blank range as he leaves a rowdy public meeting spattering him with broken glass and bullet fragments His would-be assassin drops the gun and runs away caught and overpowered without further incident he says he wants to be remembered by history for killing somebody important He chose his target "because I don't like his politics" the bullet has lodged in the lapel of his coat sentenced to life imprisonment and incarcerated in a psychiatric prison His victim sends him a letter of forgiveness and returns to the election campaign in which national security is a major issue he is compelled to cede the leadership to his younger  His successor eventually steers Labor to victory and the former leader retires from parliament the gunman is set free and given a Literature Board grant to write poetry The year was 1966 and Arthur Calwell had been the Labor leader for six years he'd opened the country to huge numbers of refugees and new settlers He was a deeply principled man but his pugnacious old-fashioned style was unsuited to the age of television His outspoken opposition to American bases conscription and the war on Vietnam made him unpopular and Whitlam's supporters viewed him as an electoral liability Peter Kocan was a casebook disturbed loner he left school at 14 and drifted though a series of menial jobs he entered the Mosman Town Hall with a .22 hidden under his overcoat mingled with the crowd and approached Calwell just as he was being driven away Kocan aimed at his jugular and pulled the trigger a fellow inmate introduced him to the works of Rupert Brooke Two of his collections were published while he was still locked up and his subsequent work draws on his experience of psychosis and imprisonment His novella The Cure won the 1983 NSW Premier's Literary Award for fiction In his science-fiction novel Flies of a Summer he portrays a future in which all memories of the past have been erased is often remembered for saying "Two Wongs don't make a white." He was misquoted The Monthly is a magazine published by Schwartz Media For subscription enquiries, call 1800 077 514 or email [email protected] For editorial enquiries, email [email protected] brings a bold and inclusive vision to the political landscape Garcha represents a new wave of leadership rooted in grassroots values she aims to champion the needs of Calwell’s diverse communities and push for policies that prioritise people and planet over profit What prompted you to run for Federal Parliament I’m running for the Greens because of my desire to help people – especially in today’s world where compassion and justice are needed more than ever – that is what inspired me to run I went through deeply discouraging experiences where I received little to no support from the major parties That opened my eyes to how disconnected many politicians are from the people they’re meant to represent I believe politics should be about genuine service What do you think are the pressing needs of the local community in your area Calwell has been overlooked for far too long and local infrastructure lacks the care and investment our community deserves Many residents also feel disappointed by the government’s inaction on global issues like Palestine we need Medicare to cover dental and mental health services These changes would save families thousands every year urgent change – and now is the time to demand it With more Greens in Parliament we can keep Dutton out and force Labor to act A post shared by Australian Greens News (@australiangreensnews) There is much disillusionment with politics and politicians in current times What would you do to change that public perception But it’s also an opportunity to redefine politics It’s crucial we understand who we’re voting for and what values they represent I genuinely believe there needs to be an increased representation in Australian politics of modern Australia – which needs to be more inclusive and representative of migrant communities There is a huge gap in the Parliament with little to no representation of younger Australians who are the future of this country I believe politicians should be seen as community advocates – not careerists – and I plan to lead by example by fighting for the things people actually need like getting dental and mental health into Medicare The Australian parliament needs to be a representation of modern Australia the major parties take millions in donations from big corporations the big banks donate because it gets them results The Greens do not take donations from big corporations we can’t be bought and we won’t sell out Tell us a bit about your background — personal and professional and my family migrated to Australia over a decade ago I grew up in Melbourne’s north west and call this community home I work in healthcare while completing my university studies My experiences as both a senior education student and a working professional have grounded me in the everyday realities of the people I hope to represent READ MORE: Indian Link Federal Election 2025 Survey Indian Link empowers and elevates the South Asian community in Australia, by telling their stories and unpacking their experiences in a nuanced and unbiased manner. © Indian Link Media Group. All rights reserved. Level 25/259 George St, Sydney Support independent journalism, starting from less than $2 a week. By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy It looks like your email isn't registered yet—let’s get you set up We've sent a code to the below email.  There are a few key things to know about Calwell the safe Labor seat covering Melbourne’s outer north First, it is thoroughly working class, with education and income levels below the national average. Roughly a third of residents live within the lowest socioeconomic areas in Australia an informal group set up to ensure the community is heard For independent candidate Samim Moslih — an Afghan refugee who came to Australia in 1986 and an outspoken advocate for Gaza — Labor preselecting a Palestinian-Australian “It’s very visible in terms of how tacky the strategy is,” he tells me over a coffee in Roxburgh Park Moslih doesn’t believe having Abdo in Labor’s caucus will help the Palestinian cause, especially after what happened to Fatima Payman — “the canary in the mines” Labor turned the guns on her rather than listening,” he says who acts as a “conduit” between Labor and the community he doesn’t believe the Muslim community will forgive Labor for spending months “enabling a genocide” But while it’s a driving force, Moslih is adamanent he’s more than just a pro-Palestine candidate (his website doesn’t mention Gaza, though his Facebook regularly does) The 47-year-old’s frustrations with Labor run far deeper because it’s trying to appeal for the right and it’s left a lot of people in the lurch,” he says “They’re gloating about how great the economy is when I just spoke to a gentleman over there” — he points to an elderly man he was seated with when I arrived — “the guy’s in pain they’re saying they’re finding it hard to live.” As with many independents it’s hard to get a read on Moslih’s fiscal politics I suggest that his answer implies he is left-wing not a hand out” — looking after those in need while respecting that “an individual’s wealth is their wealth.” He also speaks passionately about how migrants have been excluded — told to “be grateful” to be here He wants to foster a sense of power and belonging particularly among the young and disenfranchised arguing many are tapping out of the system by not voting at all “That defeatist mindset is what politicians actually thrive on,” he argues “It’s basically paradise for the current politicians And he’s eager to ensure Calwell gets a better deal what has the community got to show for it in terms of actual investment in Calwell?” he asks “The only way that it can be actually listened to is if you have an independent sitting in for Calwell,” he adds or you can be the jester in the king’s court And I think that’s the option that the community has.” Calwell does indeed have options. There is at least one other independent running, Joseph Youhana, a member of the Assyrian community; there may soon be others. Greens candidate Mohamed El-Masri will be appealing to similar voters to Moslih on Gaza though Moslih reckons the progressive party is an incorrect fit for socially conservative Calwell.  with founder Nail Aykan saying it’s about “bridging the community with the candidates” The group has held forums with the party nominees a former director of the Islamic Council of Victoria agrees Labor has taken Calwell for granted even as he praises Maria Vamvakinou as a “good friend of the Muslim community.”  “Now it’s a new chapter in Calwell’s history “Basem and Labor can’t rely on Calwell being a safe Labor seat anymore They’re gonna have to really earn the Muslim votes.” Challenging a major party from a standing start is a tall order with pollsters so far dismissive of Muslim independent chances — though this will surely be one of the least predictable elements of the 2025 federal election Moslih believes if he can come in at least third there is a chance he can win on preferences the independent candidate has some thinking to do “Enabling genocide cannot be rewarded,” he says “I would strongly be contemplating Labor as last.” Have something to say about this article? Write to us at letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication in Crikey’s Your Say. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords, Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe hammer went down on 43 Tatchell Street, Calwell, for a cool $1.7 million on the last Saturday of September That price eclipsed the previous suburb record by more than $300,000 It was held for almost two years by 8 Tuthill Place which sold in November 2022 for $1.38 million The territory has experienced a slower start to spring than usual - home values slipped 0.3 per cent last month - but selling agent Christine Bassingthwaighte said she was not surprised by the Tatchell Street outcome The facade and informal living space of 43 Tatchell Street Picture supplied"When I walked into the property I thought it was a record-breaking home," she said There were eight registered bidders for the four-bedroom A rumpus room and home theatre were significant selling features in the house The house features a home cinema and formal lounge area Picture suppliedThe chef's kitchen and custom cabinetry made the home an ideal location to host guests in A large spa and poolside lounge area were also selling points Picture suppliedThe house sits on a quarter-acre block which Ms Bassingthwaighte said was immaculately maintained It was a long auction; Ms Bassingthwaighte said bidding lasted 35 minutes The competitive bidding was welcome during what the Blackshaw agent who has been selling in Calwell for 40 years described as the hardest selling period since the 1990s MORE PROPERTY STORIES: A large backyard is ideal for kids to play in "hard work" and an understanding of Tuggeranong's market prevailed The [seller] did everything I asked of them," Ms Bassingthwaighte said "The house was amazing and a credit to the owners." She said the care put into upkeep of the property was crucial for anyone hoping to make a profitable sale in what is tipped by experts to be a buyers market until at least the first interest rate cut next year. Those scrolling listing sites were marking decisions "within the first 10 seconds" of seeing a house, Ms Bassingthwaighte said. "There's no time to examine the bones of the house. It has to stand out." Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service. Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. The latest news, results & expert analysis. Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon. Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers. We've selected the best reading for your weekend. Get the latest property and development news here. Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Politician who spoke to SBS Greek during the SBS Election Exchange 05:26PlayHe also pointed to reduced medicine costs and a planned return to pre-pandemic migration levels.Mr Mulino emphasized his ongoing engagement with migrant communities including the Greek Australian community.Running against him in Fraser is Greens candidate Huong Truong who said her party’s top priority remains climate action.LISTEN TOHuong Truong April 202504:02PlayShe also highlighted the housing crisis as the electorate’s most pressing concern.Ms Truong called for tax reform targeting large corporations and said Greek Australians in the area have told her they’re ready for change and to move away from the major parties In CalwellThe Calwell electorate covers suburbs including Craigieburn and Campbellfield.Cypriot Australian MP Andrew Theophanous was first elected here in 1984 for Labor.In 2001 Maria Vamvakinou took over the seat and served until recently opting not to recontest this election.Labor’s new candidate is her former staffer who couldn’t attend the SBS event.Independent candidate Joseph Youhana spoke to SBS Greek criticizing Labor’s dominance in Calwell which he says has led to neglect of the area.LISTEN TOJoseph Youhana Independent candidate for Calwell on SBS Greek April 202504:43PlayHe hopes no party secures a majority so independents can play a key role in shaping government policy.He believes his Christian values and work in humanitarian and nonprofit organizations will resonate with Greek Australians Also running in this election is former Victorian MP Fiona Patten now head Senate candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Party.LISTEN TOFiona Patten Legalise Cannabis Party's Senate candidate on SBS Greek Patten said she was the first elected official in Victoria to advocate for cannabis decriminalization and believes much more can be achieved at a federal level.She hopes to bring her parliamentary experience and track record on social justice and human rights to Canberra.She expressed pride in representing an area with so many Greek Australian families Maria Bengtsson is running for Family First.LISTEN TOMaria Bengtsson Family First's candidate for Calwell on SBS Greek03:05PlayWith roots in Croatia and Sweden she supports continued use of coal for electricity until better alternatives emerge and wants more greenfield land released for housing development.She attributes the cost-of-living crisis to Australia’s shift toward renewable energy has been held by former Labor leader Bill Shorten since 2007.Mr Shorten has announced his retirement from politics.Labor’s new candidate believes the Albanese government’s initiatives—such as cheaper medicines and free TAFE education—are improving Australians’ quality of life.LISTEN TOJo Briskey Labor's candidate for Maribyrnong on SBS Greek April 202503:38PlayGreens candidate Uncle James Williams is also contesting the seat.He believes tackling supermarket price manipulation is key to addressing the cost of living.LISTEN TOUncle James Williams Greens candidate for Maribyrnong on SBS Greek April 202504:12PlayHe proposes capping public transport fares at 50 cents and hopes Labor doesn’t secure a majority giving the Greens more leverage in Parliament Greek Australian and Brimbank Councillor Virginia Tachos spoke to SBS Greek about local concerns April 202503:36PlayMembers of the SBS crew at SBS's special event for 2025 Federal Election Morgan Peach, the Socialist Equality Party’s candidate for the seat of Calwell in the outer northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, gave several interviews on Wednesday, during which he sounded the alarm on the threat of war, capitalist breakdown, dictatorship, and the SEP being entirely excluded from the official election campaign. Peach attended a Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) “Election Exchange” at Broadmeadows central shopping centre, along with other candidates for Calwell. He was interviewed by several SBS reporters, including Kerri-Lee Barry from SBS NITV radio, Olivia Di lorio, from SBS Examines and Nejat Basar from the SBS Turkish radio service. Below are some excerpts of Peach’s remarks. Authorised by Cheryl Crisp for the Socialist Equality Party, Level 1/457-459 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia. Watch 8m Independents looking to make an impact in Calwell Amongst them local political candidates vying for the seat of Calwell eager to spruik their message. SAMIM MOSLIH, INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE:  It's been forgotten by Labor and Liberal for decades upon decades, and the neglect is palpable. MIKE LORIGAN:  Muslims make up around one quarter of the population in this multicultural electorate in Melbourne’s outer suburbs and voters from these communities are being asked to change the narrative this federal election. CARLY MOORE, INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE:  We have been a very safe Labor seat for a very long time, for as long as I can remember, and I don't think that that has served us very well here. MIKE LORIGAN:  Is Labor under threat in Calwell from independents? BASEM ABDO, LABOR CANDIDATE: Look, I am focused on what Labor can deliver for our community. MIKE LORIGAN:  Basem Abdo is Labor’s candidate for the seat. He grew up in the electorate. We meet in the industrial suburb of Campbellfield. BASEM ABDO:  This was the manufacturing heartland of Australia; this was the Ford factory but for us it was more than just a site. In our community, people built their lives around here. MIKE LORIGAN:  The Ford factory shut in 2016 after 88 years of manufacturing.  What impact has losing this plant had on Calwell? BASEM ABDO:  This has had a major impact, as you can see, you can see the rubble, it almost looks like an industrial graveyard here.  This is the story of Australian manufacturing, the legacy of successive Liberal governments over the last decade and what they did to our area and our community.  MIKE LORIGAN:  The Palestinian Australian is stepping up to fill the shoes of his former boss, outgoing Labor MP, Maria Vamvakinou who represented the electorate for almost two decades. Is a vote for you, a vote for change, or more of the same? BASEM ABDO:  It is a vote for change. It's a vote for change because Labor is offering a program of government which addresses the cost-of-living. MIKE LORIGAN:  Labor has held this seat since it was created 40 years ago - that’s 14 federal elections in a row. At the last federal election, Labor suffered a swing of almost 10 per cent against it but those votes didn’t directly go to the Liberal Party  Now there’s a push to make this seat marginal. CARLY MOORE:  The reason that I decided to leave the Labor Party was really because I feel like at times, they've lost sight of what is really most important to the community here. MIKE LORIGAN: Independent Carly Moore is a former mayor of the city of Hume and a mother of four.  CARLY MOORE:  Hello, I’m running as a candidate in the federal election. Can I put my poster in your store please.  MIKE LORIGAN:  She’s one of a number of candidates seeking to capitalise on a national trend of voters moving away from the major parties  CARLY MOORE:  We have the highest levels of mortgage stress in all of Australia, three of the suburbs in Calwell are in the top 10 of the most disadvantaged suburbs in Victoria. We've got 500,000 people expected to be living in the northern part of this community by 2036.  MIKE LORIGAN:  What are the big problems in Calwell? VOX POP:  Yeah, it's the life is become very expensive, and the income is low and everything expensive - the rent, electricity, gas, food, everything yeah.  MIKE LORIGAN:  What’s life like for people in Calwell? VOX POP 2:  It's not bad. If you’re buying a house here it's pretty cheap, but it is getting bigger, but it comes down to infrastructure as well. BASEM ABDO:  I remind people, whilst we've had a Labor member here, we haven't had Labor governments for most of that time.  MIKE LORIGAN:  7.30 approached the Liberal Party candidate who declined to participate in the story. Basem Abdo is one of at least four candidates of Muslim background running in Calwell. NAIL AYKAN, MUSLIM VOICES OF CALWELL:  I think it's time for political leaders to take its Muslim voters far more seriously than they have. Calwell is a very diverse… MIKE LORIGAN:  Nail Aykram, is a former president of the Islamic Council of Victoria.  NAIL AYKAN:  We feel that the Muslim community has been taken for granted for far too long. And the recent Israeli Gaza war has really exposed the failings of the duopoly, the two major parties in particular.  BASEM ABDO:  I'm born to Palestinian parents. This conflict has had a real impact from a personal perspective. MIKE LORIGAN:  Calwell has a diverse Muslim community. The Labor candidate cautions against viewing them as a separate political block from the rest of the electorate.  But the war in Gaza has spurred on moves to galvanise the political capital of Muslim communities across the country. EXTRACT FROM INSTAGRAM VIDEO:  Because the powers that be think it doesn't matter, it does matter.  EXTRACT FROM INSTAGRAM VIDEO:  Because we need to hold the government to account. MIKE LORIGAN: Following its launch last September, political advocacy group, ‘Muslim Votes Matter’ is endorsing candidates  EXTRACT FROM INSTAGRAM VIDEO:  MVM will be issuing first of all how to vote cards in all 150 seats of the new Parliament. MIKE LORIGAN:  And it's targeting at least nine seats with large Muslim populations.  SAMIN MOSLIH:  My name is Samim Moslih, I’m running as an independent in the federal election, and I say, if nothing changes, nothing changes. We've got double the national average of youth unemployment in this area, but no one cares.  MIKE LORIGAN: Independent Samim Moslih, a refugee from Afghanistan is the candidate endorsed by the group in Calwell.  SAMIM MOSLIH:  When will Liberal and Labor put people in their policies? MIKE LORIGAN:  He’s also been endorsed by another group, “The Muslim Vote” modelled on the UK that group that backed five successful pro-Palestine candidates at the 2024 general election.  SAMIM MOSLIH:  When I speak to the Muslim community in particular, it is first in the top list of their grievances. MIKE LORIGAN:  Samim Moslih wants to see a one-state representative democracy established where Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories exist today.  He is at odds with the Labor Party that supports a two-state solution SAMIM MOSLIH:  The one-state solution for Palestine is a free Palestine from the river to the sea through a representative democracy.  MIKE LORIGAN:  So just to clarify this one-state solution, does this mean you, you are advocating or calling for the end to the state of Israel? SAMIM MOSLIH:  I am calling for the end of a genocidal apartheid state. MIKE LORIGAN:  There are many in our community, particularly Jewish Australians, who would be deeply alarmed by the proposition or the policy change that you've put forward to this election.  How do you address those concerns? SAMIM MOSLIH:  Look, there were a lot of South Africans that would have actually been horrified as the thought of apartheid ending in South Africa. It's not doom and gloom. It's actually a bright future. It's about equality. It's about people living in peace, as they have done in the past. MIKE LORIGAN:  Israel strenuously denies its rule in the occupied territories is either genocidal or a form or apartheid. BASEM ABDO:  I would leave the future of a Palestinian state to the Palestinian people. It's not for candidates to decide the structure of that state. MIKE LORIGAN:  While the Labor Party suffered a big swing against here at the last federal election, it still holds Calwell by a margin of more than 12 per cent - an independent victory here would be unprecedented.  BASEM ABDO:  I wouldn't say anything is a sure thing, and I don't take anything for granted. Independents are looking to make an impact in the working-class seat of Calwell in Melbourne's north which has been held by Labor for 40 years. The Victorian Greens have unveiled nurse and community advocate Ravneet Garcha as their candidate for Calwell in the upcoming federal election A Sikh woman from Melbourne’s north-western suburbs Ms Garcha is running on a platform focused on renters’ rights expanding Medicare and advocating for Palestine Ms Garcha experienced first-hand the struggles many migrant families face She argues that successive governments have failed everyday Australians prioritising political interests over essential support Calwell has been taken for granted,” Ms Garcha said “I want to be a strong independent voice fighting for renters has traditionally been held by the Australian Labor Party The Greens are campaigning for big corporations to pay more tax to fund essential services including dental and mental health care under Medicare Ms Garcha believes these policies will make a tangible difference to working families in Calwell everyone should be able to afford the basics and governments should actually work to solve the problems people face,” Ms Garcha said After nearly a quarter of a century representing Melbourne’s north-west leaving the seat of Calwell wide open for the first time since 2001 Calwell stretches across 191 square kilometres on the city’s fringe taking in the diverse and rapidly growing suburbs of Broadmeadows with the party holding the seat since its creation in 1984 and currently enjoying a 12.4 per cent margin the race to inherit this deep-red patch is more open than usual Thirteen candidates have thrown their hats into the ring – one of the biggest fields in the country hopes to retain the seat on a platform of social services and infrastructure to match the area’s bumping population But a crowded and eclectic ballot means every vote will count Liberal candidate Usman Ghani will test whether the Coalition can make inroads in the working-class electorate while the Green’s Ravneet Garcha is pushing climate policy and social justice as core priorities Also vying for attention are independents like current Hume councillor and former mayor Carly Moore and Samim Moslih the Citizens Party and the Trumpet of Patriots the only party in Parliament consistently pushing for a ceasefire in Palestine and standing up for human rights As a young woman of colour raised in Melbourne’s north-west I’ve seen how disconnected politics has become Calwell has been neglected; there’s no hospital in Craigieburn The Greens are fighting for free dental and mental health in Medicare Our area was the manufacturing heartland of Australia And we saw what happened when the Liberals tore the manufacturing heart right out of our area And with it went local businesses across our supply chain That’s why I’m proud to stand as Labor’s candidate in Calwell so I can make sure our voice is heard in Canberra To fight to bring back our local industry that gave us secure jobs and better pay– jobs that provided long-term careers education right through to cheaper childcare And I know this because I’ve grown up here – and this area is worth fighting for The people of Calwell have been forgotten for too long by the major parties It’s time we had someone that cares about the community and will fight for our area Trumpet of patriots is the only party that is putting Australia and its people first We have real solutions to the cost of living I’m running because our community has been overlooked for far too long I’m not tied to any party – I’ll fight for what’s right for us If you’re ready for real change and genuine representation Dr Gianni Del Rosario-Makridis- Legalise Cannabis Party Dr Gianni Del Roasario is a medicinal cannabis scientist and educator As the first Victorian to earn a PhD in medicinal cannabis plant genetics Dr Gianni passionately advocates for increased investment in cannabis research believing it can significantly improve health Enhanced cannabis research will provide jobs improve alternative medicine treatments and guide smarter prescribing This will empower Calwell residents to manage stress and reducing dependence on harmful substances Voting for Dr Gianni means backing evidence-based solutions that build a healthier Public space upgrades are being carried out at Lanyon Marketplace in Conder Have you noticed some work going on at the shops lately Several local shopping areas across Canberra are receiving a bit of a facelift through important public space upgrades Some of the upgrades include new play equipment more places to sit and gather and improved access and parking You can also expect improvements to each centre’s overall look and feel through the addition of new trees and landscaping It’s hoped these improvements will encourage residents to shop local and spend more time in their suburbs Each project has involved community engagement Community groups and local businesses have shared feedback on the changes they’d like to see You can find more on the consultation process and feedback received for each project by clicking on the links below Upgrades are underway on the public spaces at Calwell shops on Webber Crescent Find out more about the improvements at Calwell Group Centre. Find out more about the improvements at Lanyon Marketplace. Minor improvements at the Monash Commercial Centre were completed recently Find out more about the work at Monash shops. Kendrick Lamar will headline Spilt Milk 2025 in Canberra on Saturday 13 December Funding has been provided to over 2,500 Canberra families through the Future of Education Equity Fund Construction will begin soon on the new South Tuggeranong Health Centre in Conder We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region Our CBR is the ACT Government’s key channel to connect with Canberrans and keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the city You can easily opt in or out of the newsletter subscription at any time Capital Football This weekend will see 20 champions crowned across Capital Football’s Junior Leagues with the regions best young talent going head-to-head The Capital Football Junior League Grand Finals descend on Calwell Playing Fields on Saturday as 18 teams battle it out to be crowned champions of their respective competitions with four of their Junior League teams competing in Grand Finals whilst Canberra Grammar School are also well represented with three of their four teams playing Eight teams from the NPL Boy’s competitions head to Kaleen Enclosed six teams from the NPL Girl’s make the trek to South Jerrabomberra and the eight CPL Boy’s finalists meet at Calwell Playing Fields Canberra Croatia are in three of the four matches at Kaleen Enclosed with a ‘Canberra Classico’ clash in the Under-15’s and Under-18’s After a dominant season in which their junior program won promotion to the NPL Boy’s competitions Wagga City Wanderers are in three of the four Grand Finals at Calwell on Sunday The Regional Sports Complex in South Jerrabomberra will have a distinct blue feel to it with both Belconnen United and Majura FC competing in two of three Grand Finals “Capital Football are looking forward to an amazing end of season Finals weekend in our Junior competitions,” CEO “Grand Final day is always a memorable occasion in our football calendar We wish every team the best of luck in their respective competitions and are sure we will see some top-class football.” 11:30 – JLG U16 Division 2: Majura FC v Weston Molonglo FC 14:00 – JLO18 Division 3: Weston Molonglo FC v Canberra Grammar School 11:30 – JLG U18 Division 2: Majura FC v Belsouth FC 14:00 – JLO18 Division 2: Majura FC v Belsouth FC Edmund’s College v Canberra Grammar School 14:00 – JLG16 Division 1: Majura FC v Woden Valley 9:00 – JLO U16 Division 1: Marist College v Belsouth FC 11:30 – JLG U18 Division 1: BellaMonaro v West Canberra Wanderers 14:00 – JLO18 Division 1: Marist College v Canberra Grammar School 8:30 – NPLB U14: Canberra Croatia v O’Connor Knights 10:30 – NPLB U15: Canberra Olympic v Canberra Croatia 12:30 – NPLB U16: Belconnen United v Canberra Olympic 15:00 – NPLB U18: Canberra Croatia v Canberra Olympic 9:00 – CPLB U14: Tuggeranong United v Wagga City Wanderers 11:00 – CPLB U15: Wagga City Wanderers v Woden Valley 13:00 – CPLB U16: Wagga City Wanderers v Monaro Panthers 15:30 – CPLB U18: Monaro Panthers v Brindabella Blues SOUTH JERRABOMBERRA REGIONAL SPORTS COMPLEX 9:30 – NPLG U14: Belconnen United v Canberra Croatia 11:30 – NPLG U15: Gungahlin United v Majura FC 13:45 – NPLG U17: Belconnen United v Majura FC Maria Vamvakinou announces she will quit politics at next federal poll and throws support behind former adviser Basem Abdo The veteran Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou has announced she will end her political career at the next federal election and has backed a prominent member of the Palestinian-Australian community to replace her the member for Calwell in Melbourne’s outer north-west she will step down at the upcoming poll due by the middle of 2025 Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup “I just want to stop and smell roses,” she said on Sunday when anointing her former adviser Basem Abdo as her preferred successor. “I am very committed to giving opportunities to a new generation of people who will be able to go forward and reconnect with Labor in what has now become a very diverse and volatile political constituency.” Read moreVamvakinou, one of her party’s most vocal supporters of Palestine, was first elected in 2001. She said recognising Palestinian statehood was “unfinished business” for the Labor party. “There has to be an outcome that gives the Palestinian people self-determination and it’s the only way forward for peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. There is no other way,” the outgoing MP said. “I am hopeful that a Labor government will … recognise Palestine as a way of encouraging and promoting a pathway to peace. There’s no alternative.” Vamvakinou said she hoped Abdo would be preselected to contest Calwell at the next federal poll. “He is the kind of generation now that we need to reconnect with and become relevant to,” she said. “He is very bright and [I believe he will] make a great contribution.” Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents – his father left a village in the occupied West Bank after the Six Day War in 1967 – Abdo’s family sought refuge in Jordan during the Gulf War before migrating to Australia in 1991. 1:48Heated exchange erupts between Australian politicians over antisemitism and Islamophobia – videoHe said his father was trained as an electrical engineer but couldn’t find a job in that field in Australia. “I have always had that instilled in me – a deep appreciation for the dignity of work and the impact that social and economic displacement has on people. I think it can be tackled by governments,” Abdo said. “That’s a strong part of what has driven me within the movement.” While preselections will not be held until later this year, Guardian Australia understands Abdo has significant support within Labor’s socialist left.. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Free daily newsletterOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters One senior member of the faction said while it was likely other candidates would put their hand up for the safe Labor seat, Abdo’s preselection was a “done deal”. “It is something Maria has been trying to line up for months,” they said. Another source said it “should be non-negotiable” that the Victorian faction preselect a culturally diverse MP given it hadn’t done so at the federal level since Vamvakinou entered parliament. About a quarter of voters in Calwell are Muslim, according to the 2021 census. While Vamvakinou holds the seat on a safe margin of 12.4% the party saw a 10% primary vote drop at the 2022 election. there are concerns the party could face further backlash among Muslim voters and other diverse groups over its response to the Hamas-Israel war Abdo said if he was elected to parliament he could offer a “perspective that actually is impacted by [the conflict in Palestine] generationally” and it is personal and we are affected directly by it,” he said While the Australian government has said it no longer sees recognition of Palestinian statehood as a step that can only be taken at the very end of a peace process it has signalled it is unlikely to follow European countries – such as Ireland Spain and Norway – in recognising statehood in the short term Cost-of-living relief will be on many voters’ minds as Victorians in the mortgage belt suburbs and beyond go to the polls this federal election Labor and the Coalition face challenges in key seats while recent byelections and the redrawing of electoral boundaries have tightened the margins in some electorates Liberals are also keen to oust teals in former blue-ribbon seats Here’s a guide to Victoria’s battleground seats These candidates are fighting it out in Victoria’s key seats.Credit: Marija Ercegovac Chisholm has undergone a significant change to its electoral boundaries since 2022 setting the stage for a tight race between two familiar faces It means the electorate has lost the multicultural voters of Box Hill and Blackburn In 2022, Labor’s Carina Garland took the seat from the incumbent, the Liberal Party’s Gladys Liu with a margin of 6.4 per cent – but the new boundaries have halved it Garland, a long-standing Labor Party operative and Trades Hall worker, will be up against Liberal Katie Allen a paediatrician transplanted from the eliminated seat of Higgins Allen won the seat of Higgins in 2019 before being trumped by Labor at the last election the Greens – who came in third at the last election with 12.6 per cent of primary votes – have put up Tim Randall healthcare and education will be top of voters’ concerns at the ballot.– Sophie Aubrey Deakin is quintessential middle-class Melbourne, home to the real-life suburban cul-de-sac that served as the fictional location for Neighbours’ Ramsay Street Taking in outer-eastern suburbs such as Ringwood, Mitcham, Vermont and Croydon, it is the most marginal Liberal-held seat in Australia. The last redistribution shaved the margin from a wafer-thin 0.2 per cent to a cigarette paper’s width of 0.02 per cent Senior Liberal Michael Sukkar has been MP for Deakin since 2013 Labor candidate Matt Gregg is running for the second time having achieved a 4.5 per cent two-party-preferred swing in 2022 who polled 14 per cent of the vote last time Labor held the seat in the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years between 2007 and 2013 and has made ground in the past two elections The cost of living is likely to be a significant issue here where income and home-ownership levels are close to the national median The seat also has a large Chinese-born population so policies regarding China could be influential The Coalition cannot afford to lose a seat like Deakin if it hopes to gain ground in Victoria.– Adam Carey Labor’s grip on the outer bayside seat of Dunkley is about to be tested, after winning it at last year’s byelection triggered by the death of popular local MP Peta Murphy Murphy had held the seat since 2019 and increased her margin at the 2022 election but the March 2024 byelection resulted in a swing of about 3.6 per cent to the Liberals narrowing Labor’s hold on the marginal seat now faces her first general election fight She’s again up against Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy – a former Frankston mayor – after defeating him at the byelection Dunkley takes in the working-class suburbs of Frankston Cost-of-living pressures and infrastructure will be the main fight here.– Rachael Dexter Tim Wilson is a man on a mission this election seeking to reclaim the former Liberal heartland seat of Goldstein from independent Zoe Daniel Three years ago, Daniel ended the Liberal Party’s dominance in Goldstein which stretches along Port Phillip Bay from Brighton to Beaumaris and is one of a handful of Victorian seats that has never been held by the Labor Party elected with a 3.3 per cent margin* after her campaign focused on climate and integrity in politics Daniel says these issues are as relevant as ever but she’s also keenly aware that the cost of living is front-of-mind for many even in one of Victoria’s wealthiest electorates Wilson sees this as his opportunity because economics is typically a sweet spot for Liberals Other challengers to Daniel are Alana Galli-McRostie (Greens) Andrew Montgomery (Family First) and David Segal (Libertarian Party) The Labor Party is yet to select a candidate This election will determine whether the Liberal Party has lost some of its blue-ribbon electorates like Goldstein for years.– Cara Waters The most affluent electorate in Melbourne is also the site of Australia’s most acrimonious election campaign Independent MP Monique Ryan’s victory over former treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the last election was the biggest of the teal movement, which routed inner-city Liberals via well-resourced campaigns centred on climate action and integrity The Liberals aim to win their former blue-ribbon seat with a similarly blue-ribbon name: Amelia Hamer, the grandniece of former Victorian premier Sir Rupert Hamer whose reign in the 1970s was marked by social reforms and moderation She will benefit from a redrawn seat that now includes Toorak – a suburb synonymous with wealth and conservatism She has put the cost of living and housing affordability at the top of her policy platform Hamer, too, says these are priorities. She pitches herself as a Millennial renter, which may have currency among younger voters moving into suburbs like Hawthorn, home to Swinburne University. However, while Hamer currently rents in Hawthorn it has been revealed she owns two investment properties Ryan has touted her advocacy to curb HECS debts to sway younger voters, too. But her campaign took an early hit when her husband was caught removing a Hamer sign every vote counts in Kooyong.– Lachlan Abbott Sitting Liberal MP Dan Tehan is fending off a spirited challenge from independent former radio host Alex Dyson The challenger’s distinctive orange posters and kelpie signs are dotted extensively throughout the vast and traditionally conservative electorate which stretches from Anglesea on the Surf Coast to the South Australian border and as far inland as Ararat The state of roads is a persistent bugbear for Wannon voters but the prospect of offshore wind farms on the south-west coast might also figure in this campaign Dyson has some hefty financial backing from campaign group Climate 200 which seeks to pressure governments into stronger action on climate change Tehan has held the previously safe seat since 2010 But Dyson eroded his margin at the previous two elections enough to render the seat marginal – Tehan holds it with a margin of 3.8 per cent* – and set up a compelling contest Boundary changes since the last election may also play to Dyson’s advantage.– Benjamin Preiss The Liberals were rocked when Labor’s Mary Doyle took the historically blue stronghold of Aston in Melbourne’s outer east at a byelection two years ago – the first time the seat went red The byelection was triggered by the resignation of former Liberal MP Alan Tudge Doyle defeated now-Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne Roshena Campbell with a 6.4 per cent swing It was the first time in more than a century that a sitting federal government won a seat from the opposition in a byelection and local private school deputy principal and former Knox mayor Manny Cicchiello is raring to defeat Doyle a former union organiser who grew up in public housing The electorate spans a mix of middle-class and mortgage-belt suburbs – including Boronia Wantirna and Rowville – with voters focused on cost-of-living pressures health services and local roads.– Rachael Dexter Labor backbencher Rob Mitchell has held the seat of McEwen since 2010 following the retirement of Liberal MP Fran Bailey The seat takes in fast-growing mortgage-belt communities on Melbourne’s northern outskirts as well as several Macedon Ranges communities Mitchell’s greatest threat is Liberal candidate Jason McClintock who previously ran an information technology business A redistribution in McEwen favours Labor slightly but this seat is still considered very marginal The cost of living is sure to be among the big issues in this electorate which has one of the highest proportions of households with a mortgage in Victoria Labor can ill afford to hand back this seat to the Liberals if it is to retain government.– Benjamin Preiss Named after Liberal Party founder and Australia’s longest-serving prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies this middle-class and multicultural seat in Melbourne’s east has been held by the Liberals since its inception 41 years ago Incumbent Keith Wolahan has been MP since 2022 after the Afghan war veteran toppled veteran conservative MP Kevin Andrews in an internal battle in 2021 The staunchly Liberal seat turned marginal at the last election when the two-party-preferred margin between the Liberals and the ALP was slashed from 7 per cent to 0.7 per cent a first-time candidate and lawyer with Slater & Gordon while the Greens will again be represented by former business journalist Bill Pheasant after he lifted the minor party’s primary vote from 10 to 14 per cent in 2022 Menzies stretches from middle-suburban Box Hill North and Bulleen through Doncaster to leafy Warrandyte and Wonga Park It has one of the country’s largest Chinese-born populations and half of its households speak a language other than English at home.– Adam Carey When Samantha Ratnam last contested Wills in 2016 she came close to breaking Labor’s near-continuous grip on the seat since 1949 has increased Labor’s vote at each election he faces a tougher contest in a seat spanning progressive Brunswick and Coburg and Labor-leaning Pascoe Vale and Hadfield Ratnam, 47, a former local mayor and ex-Greens leader, is a strong candidate in her own right, but a redistribution has boosted her chances Green-friendly booths in Fitzroy North and North Carlton have been added Gone are booths in Labor strongholds Glenroy and Oak Park the Israel-Palestine conflict will also matter Once famously represented by Labor great Bob Hawke (1980-92) the Greens have targeted Wills for more than a decade the Greens talk up their chance of a win and A crowded field is contesting this diverse electorate It takes in Phillip Island and the Bass and South Gippsland coasts and stretches as far inland as Mount Baw Baw Russell Broadbent has held the seat continuously for the Liberal Party since 2004 which now sits on a margin of just 2.9 per cent Broadbent is having another crack at retaining Monash The Liberal Party has preselected Mary Aldred the former chief executive of the Committee for Gippsland She has already been active in the electorate spruiking funding commitments for local projects is also having another go after contesting the 2022 election Kilcunda resident Tully Fletcher is the Labor candidate the cost of living and concerns about infrastructure will likely be hot-button issues As a population boom brings shifting demographics and new voting patterns it is here that the ALP’s grip on the west is most showing signs of slipping The sprawling electorate, created at the last election, is one of the fastest-growing areas of Australia It takes in the ballooning centres of Sunbury Labor MP Sam Rae won the seat with a 7.6 per cent margin in 2022 a fall from 10.2 per cent in 2019 when comparing results of the same polling booths A further slip would spell danger for Labor’s future in the west Rae will be defending his seat against Liberal Party candidate Simmone Cottom whose campaign is trying to target ALP voters who feel taken for granted Voters here will be on the lookout for election promises to improve infrastructure, including the region’s infrequent public transport and congested roads Household budget pressures are also top of mind Family First is also in the mix with Melanie Milutinovic.– Sophie Aubrey has been safely in Labor’s column since 1998 but the seat will be on the Liberal Party hit list as it could be swayed by a meaningful pitch to voters’ hip pockets Split down the middle by the Monash Freeway with a demographic make-up weighted towards families with cars having won it with a 6.6 per cent margin at the last election but a redistribution has cut that down slightly The seat is home to Victoria’s largest population of Australians of Afghan heritage which has been reflected in the Liberal preselection of Zahid Safi an Afghanistan-born local businessman who wants to be his party’s first Muslim MP The Greens have put forward academic and local councillor Rhonda Garad while One Nation and Family First will also run candidates If the swing against Labor is on come election day Bruce could be among those to fall.– Tom Cowie Calwell will be a litmus test of Labor’s frailties in the party’s traditional heartland The party suffered a 7.2 per cent swing at the last election with United Australia and One Nation polling 8.9 per cent and 7 per cent of the vote respectively The northern suburban seat includes economically disadvantaged Broadmeadows and Craigieburn with one of the largest Arabic-speaking populations in Australia Veteran MP Maria Vamvakinou, who has held the seat since 2001, has retired, and the ALP has preselected Basem Abdo The Liberals have preselected Usman Ghani. Prominent local councillor Carly Moore has quit Labor to run as an independent. The Greens preselected Mohamed El-Masri, hoping to channel community anger about Gaza, only to see him defect to Fatima Payman’s Australia’s Voice party.– Adam Carey and the margin displayed is a calculated estimate Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here Cost-of-living relief will be on many voters\\u2019 minds as Victorians in the mortgage belt suburbs and beyond go to the polls this federal election Here\\u2019s a guide to Victoria\\u2019s battleground seats Labor\\u2019s Carina Garland took the seat from the incumbent with a margin of 6.4 per cent \\u2013 but the new boundaries have halved it a long-standing Labor Party operative and Trades Hall worker the Greens \\u2013 who came in third at the last election with 12.6 per cent of primary votes \\u2013 have put up Tim Randall healthcare and education will be top of voters\\u2019 concerns at the ballot.\\u2013 Sophie Aubrey Deakin is quintessential middle-class Melbourne home to the real-life suburban cul-de-sac that served as the fictional location for Neighbours\\u2019 Taking in outer-eastern suburbs such as Ringwood it is the most marginal Liberal-held seat in Australia The last redistribution shaved the margin from a wafer-thin 0.2 per cent to a cigarette paper\\u2019s width of The Coalition cannot afford to lose a seat like Deakin if it hopes to gain ground in Victoria.\\u2013 Adam Carey Labor\\u2019s grip on the outer bayside seat of Dunkley is about to be tested after winning it at last year\\u2019s triggered by the narrowing Labor\\u2019s hold on the marginal seat She\\u2019s again up against Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy \\u2013 a former Frankston mayor \\u2013 after defeating him at the byelection Cost-of-living pressures and infrastructure will be the main fight here.\\u2013 Rachael Dexter but she\\u2019s also keenly aware that the cost of living is front-of-mind for many even in one of Victoria\\u2019s wealthiest electorates This election will determine whether the Liberal Party has lost some of its blue-ribbon electorates like Goldstein for years.\\u2013 Cara Waters The most affluent electorate in Melbourne is also the site of Australia\\u2019s most acrimonious election campaign Independent MP \\u2019s victory over former treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the last election was the biggest of the teal movement which via well-resourced campaigns centred on climate action and integrity The Liberals aim to win their former blue-ribbon seat with a similarly blue-ribbon name: She will benefit from a redrawn seat that now includes Toorak \\u2013 a suburb synonymous with wealth and conservatism which may have currency among younger voters moving into suburbs like Hawthorn while Hamer currently rents in Hawthorn it has been revealed Ryan has touted her advocacy to curb HECS debts to sway younger voters But her campaign took an early hit when her every vote counts in Kooyong.\\u2013 Lachlan Abbott Sitting Liberal MP Dan Tehan is fending off a spirited challenge from independent former radio host The challenger\\u2019s distinctive orange posters and kelpie signs are dotted extensively throughout the vast and traditionally conservative electorate But Dyson eroded his margin at the previous two elections enough to render the seat marginal \\u2013 Tehan holds it with a margin of 3.8 per cent* \\u2013 and set up a compelling contest Boundary changes since the last election may also play to Dyson\\u2019s advantage.\\u2013 Benjamin Preiss were rocked when took the historically blue stronghold of Aston in Melbourne\\u2019s outer east at a byelection two years ago \\u2013 the first time the seat went red The electorate spans a mix of middle-class and mortgage-belt suburbs \\u2013 including Boronia Wantirna and Rowville \\u2013 with voters focused on cost-of-living pressures health services and local roads.\\u2013 Rachael Dexter The seat takes in fast-growing mortgage-belt communities on Melbourne\\u2019s northern outskirts Mitchell\\u2019s greatest threat is Liberal candidate Jason McClintock Labor can ill afford to hand back this seat to the Liberals if it is to retain government.\\u2013 Benjamin Preiss Named after Liberal Party founder and Australia\\u2019s longest-serving prime minister this middle-class and multicultural seat in Melbourne\\u2019s east has been held by the Liberals since its inception 41 years ago after he lifted the minor party\\u2019s primary vote from 10 to 14 per cent in 2022 It has one of the country\\u2019s largest Chinese-born populations and half of its households speak a language other than English at home.\\u2013 Adam Carey she came close to breaking Labor\\u2019s near-continuous grip on the seat since 1949 has increased Labor\\u2019s vote at each election has held the seat continuously for the Liberal Party since 2004 Warragul and Wonthaggi.\\u2013 Benjamin Preiss it is here that the ALP\\u2019s grip on the west is most showing signs of slipping A further slip would spell danger for Labor\\u2019s future in the west Voters here will be on the lookout for election promises to improve infrastructure Family First is also in the mix with Melanie Milutinovic.\\u2013 Sophie Aubrey has been safely in Labor\\u2019s column since 1998 but the seat will be on the Liberal Party hit list as it could be swayed by a meaningful pitch to voters\\u2019 hip pockets The seat is home to Victoria\\u2019s largest population of Australians of Afghan heritage an Afghanistan-born local businessman who wants to be his party\\u2019s first Muslim MP Bruce could be among those to fall.\\u2013 Tom Cowie Calwell will be a litmus test of Labor\\u2019s frailties in the party\\u2019s traditional heartland Prominent local councillor has quit Labor to run as an independent hoping to channel community anger about Gaza only to see him defect to party.\\u2013 Adam Carey Cut through the noise of federal politics with news views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Grassroots Labor members in Melbourne’s outer north are threatening to quit if they are blocked from picking a replacement for outgoing MP Maria Vamvakinou and the party parachutes a candidate into the seat instead Some Labor members have also pledged to back an independent candidate to run a “Dai Le- style campaign” – a reference to the crossbench MP in the south-western Sydney seat of Fowler who defeated Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally off the back of community anger about her preselection Maria Vamvakinou has represented her Melbourne seat for more than two decades.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen It comes after The Age last week revealed political staffer Basem Abdo had won the support of key Socialist Left figures, including Vamvakinou, to replace the veteran MP in the seat of Calwell when she retires at the next federal election While a preselection has been proposed for later in the year there is growing fear from local members that they won’t be given a say in the seat of Calwell and that Abdo’s position is all but guaranteed The Sunday Age has seen a letter to the party’s national secretary from the former president of the Craigieburn branch threatening to quit if the 300 local members with voting rights aren’t given a vote This masthead has also spoken to three other local branch members who said they were similarly concerned about the decision of Vamvakinou to “anoint” Abdo before discussing it with grassroots members Several Labor MPs and officials privately confirmed they have also been contacted with concerns about the upcoming preselection who has been a member for more than a decade said he and his four family members would all cease being party members and won’t volunteer at any elections “I am writing to you to highlight my concerns that the Labor members of the Calwell electorate will not be able to preselect Maria Vamvakinou’s replacement for the upcoming federal election,” Pastras wrote to Erickson “This has been going on for far too long in regards to local members being excluded from important decisions like these “If the party decides to continue on this course my family and I – who are long-term members – will resign from the party and will not volunteer for any of the party’s activities.” One branch member told The Sunday Age: “It was painted as a fait accompli There is a lot of anger within the branches itself We thought the age of bequeathing seats to people was over.” The Sunday Age contacted the Victorian branch of the ALP and confirmed the party would not depart from the rules and that it was planning to open the seat of Calwell for nominations later in the year But local branch members fear factional powerbrokers will decide who gets the seat before they get a chance to have a say This development comes a year after Labor Party members in Victoria had their voting rights returned following a three-year suspension. Labor’s national executive took control of the troubled state branch in June 2020, after The Age and 60 Minutes revealed “industrial-scale” branch-stacking the party appointed former premier Steve Bracks and former federal minister Jenny Macklin as administrators of the Victorian division to probe the memberships The party lost one-fifth of its 16,000 members with the vast majority booted out after being found to be stacked by ALP powerbrokers from both the Left and Right factions Kuwait-born Abdo would be the first Palestinian-Australian federal politician He told The Age last week: “We need to see the advancement of justice for Palestine and the Palestinian people Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter here. Grassroots Labor members in Melbourne\\u2019s outer north are threatening to quit if they are blocked from picking a replacement for outgoing MP Maria Vamvakinou and the party parachutes a candidate into the seat instead Some Labor members have also pledged to back an independent candidate to run a \\u201C- style campaign\\u201D \\u2013 a reference to the crossbench MP in the south-western Sydney seat of Fowler who defeated Labor frontbencher off the back of community anger about her preselection It comes after The Age last week revealed political staffer Basem Abdo had won the support of key Socialist Left figures to when she retires at the next federal election there is growing fear from local members that they won\\u2019t be given a say in the seat of Calwell and that Abdo\\u2019s position is all but guaranteed The Sunday Age has seen a letter to the party\\u2019s national secretary threatening to quit if the 300 local members with voting rights aren\\u2019t given a vote who said they were similarly concerned about the decision of Vamvakinou to \\u201Canoint\\u201D Abdo before discussing it with grassroots members said he and his four family members would all cease being party members and won\\u2019t volunteer at any elections \\u201CI am writing to you to highlight my concerns that the Labor members of the Calwell electorate will not be able to preselect Maria Vamvakinou\\u2019s replacement for the upcoming federal election,\\u201D Pastras wrote to Erickson \\u201CThis has been going on for far too long in regards to local members being excluded from important decisions like these \\u201CIf the party decides to continue on this course my family and I \\u2013 who are long-term members \\u2013 will resign from the party and will not volunteer for any of the party\\u2019s activities.\\u201D One branch member told The Sunday Age: \\u201CIt was painted as a fait accompli We thought the age of bequeathing seats to people was over.\\u201D This development comes a year after Labor Party members in Victoria had their voting rights returned following a three-year suspension Labor\\u2019s national executive took control of the troubled state branch in June 2020 He told The Age last week: \\u201CWe need to see the advancement of justice for Palestine and the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination.\\u201D entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy The ACT’s horticulture and mowing teams will receive a funding boost 2024-25 ACT Budget snapshot – Tuggeranong With the ACT’s population set to reach 500,000 people by the end of 2027 the 2024-25 ACT Budget is funding the services and infrastructure this growing city needs the ACT Government is delivering more public health services providing cost of living relief for those who need it most Some of the projects funded in Tuggeranong include: The duplication of Athllon Drive Work to duplicate part of Athllon Drive in Tuggeranong is set to start in the coming months The ACT Government will invest in the project through the 2024–25 ACT Budget as part of a 50:50 funding agreement with the Australian Government The project will see the duplication of 2.4 kilometres of Athllon Drive between Sulwood Drive and Drakeford Drive in Tuggeranong This Budget will also fund improvements to Sulwood Drive including a new four-kilometre long and three-metre-wide off-road asphalt shared path More housing for Tuggeranong The ACT Government’s Indicative Land Release Program for 2024–25 to 2028–29 will help cater to the ACT’s growing population New and upgraded community facilities The 2024-25 ACT Budget will support new and upgraded community facilities and infrastructure across the city The Government will also respond to community feedback regarding resources at ACT libraries There will be new portable phone chargers and more power boards and charging stations in addition to improving building security More funding for mowing and horticulture The combination of unpredictable weather and a growing city have increased demands on those taking care of Canberra’s grass Funding for 10 full-time positions and eight additional mowers to deliver an expanded baseline capacity in our mowing teams mowing crews will assist with horticultural work across the city The 2024–25 ACT Budget is investing in health programs and infrastructure for Tuggeranong This includes investing in the Canberra Hospital and a new pathology and clinical support building on the campus Support for education The region will benefit from a new suite of system-wide literacy and numeracy initiatives being rolled out across ACT public schools The program will ensure all students have access to consistent high-quality literacy and numeracy education There will also be a range of school upgrades across Canberra as part of the ACT Government’s annual Asset Renewal Program Find out what else has been funded as part of the 2024-25 ACT Budget by clicking here the water plants will grow to create a beautiful landscape Sections of Tuggeranong Creek in Calwell have been re-naturalised with native plants and grasses replacing concrete The project will help improve habitat and the quality of water flowing into Lake Tuggeranong Concrete sections of the creek have been replaced with naturalised creek beds featuring pools and riffles Thousands of water plants have been planted at the site The plants will also provide important habitat for native wildlife such as water bugs The plants will grow over the next few years to create a beautiful landscape The creek channel has been widened to slow the water down This will allow it to filter into the soil and support the surrounding landscape while still protecting the surrounding suburbs from flooding Two viewing platforms will provide a space for the community to enjoy the area This project is one of several that are trialling improvements in stormwater quality and waterway healthy The Healthy Waterways program is helping to deliver on the goals of the ACT Water Strategy 2014-44 The government is currently seeking feedback from the community on changes to the strategy which aim to find new and adaptable ways to care for our waterways in the ACT More information about the Healthy Waterways Program is available on the ACT Environment website Kendrick Lamar will headline Spilt Milk 2025 in Canberra on Saturday 13 December. Funding has been provided to over 2,500 Canberra families through the Future of Education Equity Fund. This National Volunteer Week, learn about some of our local volunteers. Construction will begin soon on the new South Tuggeranong Health Centre in Conder. We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region. Our CBR is the ACT Government’s key channel to connect with Canberrans and keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the city. Our CBR includes a monthly print edition, email newsletter and website. You can easily opt in or out of the newsletter subscription at any time. The townhouses are ready to welcome tenants and families most in need of housing support. Construction is now complete on 30 new public housing homes in Calwell. The 30 two- and three-bedroom townhouses are built to Class C Adaptable standards. This means they can be easily adapted to meet changing accessibility needs and support tenants to remain at home as they grow older. The new homes are located close to schools, shops, services and transport. They add to the category of public housing in highest demand – with approximately 80 per cent of all housing applicants able to be housed in a two-bedroom dwelling. Construction took less than nine months for this project, which began in November 2022. The project is a positive example of government and industry collaborating to deliver for the community. More than 500 homes have been delivered under the ACT Government’s commitment and another 700 homes are currently underway in design or construction. This is another step towards providing more people in need with safe, secure public housing. posted 20 Mar 2022Sunday 20 March 2022 at 2:00pmSun 20 Mar 2022 at 2:00pm Updated 23 Jun 2022Thursday 23 June 2022 at 6:28amThu 23 Jun 2022 at 6:28am | Calwell covers 221 square kilometres on the north-west fringe of Melbourne, north beyond the Western Ring Road between the Moonee Moonee and Merri Creeks. It includes the suburbs of Broadmeadows, Dallas, Coolaroo, Greenvale, Meadow Heights, Roxburgh Park, Craigieburn and Mickleham. On its southern edge Calwell loses Kieilor Park and Tullamarine to Maribyrnong, lifting the Labor margin from 18.8% to 19.6%. (Click on polling place for results)Labor recorded two-party preferred majorities in all 25 polling places within the boundaries of the new Calwell. Labor's results passed 70% in 18, above 80% in five, and ranged from 51.7% at Greenvale Community Centre to 84.8% at the Meadows Primary School in Broadmeadows. Preston is an ex-Firefighter and currently works as a maintenance engineer while still being involved with fire and rescue services. Staker-Gunn works for a bank as a certified property valuer. Abboud is a former Councillor and Mayor of Moreland City Council. Naim describes himself as a young and enthusiastic qualified mechanic and a father of two children with his fiance. He is currently working shift work in incident response on Citylink. Small is a lifelong socialist, trade union activist who states he has a proven track record as an activist spanning three decades. As a teenager he helped organise high school walkouts against US bases and against uranium mining. He has also been heavily involved in environmental and land rights campaigns like the successful campaign against the Jabiluka uranium mine in the 1990s, and more recently in civil disobedience protests at corporate mining conferences, as part of the climate movement. To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published David Crowe’s article (″⁣Why our politicians feel unsafe″⁣ 19/7) refers to the attempted 1966 assassination of then ALP federal Opposition leader Arthur Calwell at the height of anti-Vietnam War protests.Calwell had just left the Mosman Town Hall in Sydney and noticed a young man who he thought wanted to say hello he was instead shot at close range by a young and mentally disturbed man called Peter Kocan narrowly escaping death.What ensued was a remarkable act of magnanimity by Calwell after receiving a letter of apology from the failed assassin.The politician known for his pugnacious old warrior persona recalled that he had replied to the letter ‘in the most feeling way I could’ He urged the man to ‘not forget the incident and I wished him well’ Despite his intention to visit Kocan in jail as he died not long after.In a tale of rehabilitation after 10 years in jail Kocan became a highly regarded published poet and author who won the NSW Premier’s Literary Award Caution required approaching politiciansDavid Crowe’s call for a dial-down of rhetoric (19/7) is spot on on my way to an early-morning class in the CBD I saw then deputy premier Jacinta Allan walking towards me and wishing to tell her that I thought she was doing a great job Her reaction was something I will never forget.She looked around as if for help As soon as I said I thought she was doing a great job She told me that one never knows what will happen if a politician is stopped in the street I was a short older woman carrying a briefcase but she was scared.I resolved then that I would never again stop to compliment (or otherwise) a politician in the street because to inflict that moment of terror on anyone is not right How sad Australia has come to this.Louise Kloot Attacks on MPs’ officesSince when have savage assaults on MPs’ offices qualified as ’peaceful protest″⁣? That’s what Adam Bandt calls them (″⁣Bandt lashes PM on protester concerns″⁣, 17/7) they are indeed a form of political violence Bandt has been slow to condemn such attacks and then cries foul when the PM calls them out for what they are.Anthea Hyslop How many guns are too many?It was sickening to hear Donald Trump’s running mate J.D Vance at the Republican convention boasting about his grandmother having 19 loaded guns around her house as the gun-loving fans roared their approval This is not newIt’s laughable that the recent reports of infiltration of the CFMEU by unsavoury elements is greeted with surprise by many in government while the opposition also seemed to not notice anything amiss in its long tenure as a government This is a longstanding problem in many affiliated unions and was referenced in the 1954 movie On The Waterfront showing a corrupt union using strong-arm tactics to exert influence on the docks Sounds familiar?Such tactics may not be technically illegal or criminal in nature but are ongoing and certainly intimidatory What will it take for any government of either persuasion to change this Must we depend on the media to expose this situation when elected representatives seem to turn a blind eye?John Paine Airport link inessentialI agree that it would be nice to have an airport-city rail link We have a very efficient shuttle bus service the proposed link would involve a diversion to Sunshine The new Footscray hospital cost $1.5billion Advocates say Melbourne is the only major city without an airport rail link Cities which do not have a direct link from their terminals to the city centres include Mumbai (population 22 million) Jakarta (11 million) and Los Angeles (12 million).Yes But I’d rather have new hospitals and improved funding for mental health.Michael Doyle Ducks line upThe renewable energy investment ducks just keep lining up with our corporate leaders “insisting that a vast expansion of firmed renewables not nuclear” is key to our energy security (″⁣Corporate leaders back renewables This comes in the same week that banks declared their commitment to funding big batteries to firm our energy supply and BlackRock named Australia as “one of the most attractive destinations for private capital to invest in the energy transition” in the world (“NSW battery funding deal sets world record” Investors are clear – capturing our abundant sun and wind resources is an opportunity too good to miss if it looks like a secure energy investment duck ...Karen Campbell School inequityThe Future Foundations for Giving report recommends ending the charitable status of 5000 school building funds which contributed $1.23 billion towards private school capital projects in 2022.Federal Assistant Minister for Charities Andrew Leigh will not support the proposal because he says “a world-class education system is essential to tackling inequality driving economic growth and supporting secure jobs and our school system is a key part of it”.We will never have a world-class system as long as government schools are underfunded Inequality will never be addressed because Labor is too frightened to upset the powerful private and religious school lobbyists.It would be interesting to see a list of the so-called charities who supposedly generate ″⁣the greatest net benefits for the community″⁣.I am not sure how segregating our young people into religious schools results in a net benefit.Margarete Lee Rich get meanerOne bullet has made headlines via the shocking attempted assassination of Donald Trump of the 12 billion bullets produced annually?Consider the elderly civilian in a poor country shot when tending the small garden from which his family survived – a thrill-kill by a passing soldier with one of the world’s billion-plus guns It left this family vulnerable to losing everything.We never hear the stories of 12 billion bullets and their devastating impacts while immense suffering is callously labelled “collateral damage” Although the UN Security Council should prevent war veto-wielding members produce 74 per cent of weapons with France and Russia equal second at 11 per cent with most European and other rich countries involved.Wealth is thus moved to the rich abandoning 76 per cent of displaced persons to poorer countries.This month Australia’s off-shore detention program reached $12 billion in cost since 2013.Barbara Chapman Call out IranPenny Wong’s “toughening” of the government’s stance towards Israel is clearly driven by domestic political considerations rather than what is required to bring about an enduring peaceful end to this latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Wong states that she’s been calling for a ceasefire for eight months overlooking the fact that ceasefires were in place with Hamas until October 6 Israel has been forced to fight defensive wars against Iran’s terrorist proxies which have caused the displacement of over 200,000 of its citizens toughened the government’s stance against Iran which is the architect of so much of the human misery in the Middle East.Geoff Feren Fearless WongIt’s difficult to remember a more effective minister for foreign affairs than Penny Wong. Her forthright condemnation of the suffering and death of Palestinians (19/7) is just the most recent example of the balanced and fearless way she represents the Australian government’s position in a world seemingly torn apart by political and factional disputes.Ken Barnes Redefine buck’s nightThank you, Jenna Price for your article (“The buck’s stop here” 19/7) questioning the anachronistic practice of the buck’s party The difficulty is in the event’s current form not in having a ritual to mark a life transition I heard of an imaginative alternative in a podcast “How to redefine your buck’s party as a rite of passage” The emphasis was on the support and sense of community provided by the groom’s male friends as he contemplated the commitment he was about to make to his fiancee He was encouraged to reflect on what sort of man he wanted to be Rituals can be created to help us navigate significant life passages with the support of others around us.Sally Polmear Memorable momentAnother of Australia’s most memorable moments took place at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 In the final of the women’s 4x 100 metre relay Great Britain led by two metres at the final change Betty Cuthbert took the baton and unleashed a blistering sprint down the straight to win for Australia in world-record time I was there; it was brilliant.Geoff Schmidt Holding the manGreg Baum’s article on AFL rule changes reminds me of the simple rules we played under at a pedestrian amateur pace in the 1970s and holding the ball when tackled.Today’s players regularly flout four of those rules The major contributing factor to the need to revamp Aussie rules at the professional level is the speed and strength at which the players execute their skills amid a mass of other players under the general tenor of “keeping the game flowing” the umpires tend to let many split-second rules transgressions pass without action This contributes to faster play and excessive collision speed causing injury with long-term repercussions.Andrew Smith CFMEUWhat better background soundtrack than Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man for the private text messages of support sent to John Setka from federal and state Labor figures. (″⁣Setka’s secret sisterhood″⁣ except where the male abuser is a union heavyweight who donates a lot to your party.Michael Helman US electionIs it my imagination or is that bandage growing larger on Trump’s ear every day?Winston Anderson Re Secret Service not on roof because its slope was dangerous (18/7) Enough is enough – carpet slippers for Joe a hand of bridge and a couple of games of golf croquet FurthermoreLadies, don’t overthink the buck’s night (Comment, 19/7) it’s only the blokes’ prelude to the wedding day said to be the happiest day of our lives.Paul Custance John Pesutto and the Victorian Liberals would be disappointed to see that an overwhelming majority of residents polled support each of the transport infrastructure projects currently being undertaken in Melbourne (18/7).Garry Meller The $50 billion Labor will spend on infrastructure may benefit Melbourne residents but rural Victoria is almost entirely ignored A major reason for that is the rural vote installing Nationals who the Labor Party can happily ignore.Owen Rye We don’t need “new” research (19/7) to tell us there is more potential happiness in wealth than in poverty.Malcolm McDonald Re fixing the city’s bus problems – first would be to get the bus heaters working.Simon Livesey FinallyThe ″⁣efficiency benefits″⁣ of drone-delivered coffee ignores the ultimate efficiency – make it yourself.Jenny Bone The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter for our rules and tips on getting your letter published David Crowe\\u2019s article (\\u2033\\u2033\\u2063 recalled that he had replied to the letter \\u2018in the most feeling way I could\\u2019 He urged the man to \\u2018not forget the incident and I wished him well\\u2019 published poet and author who won the NSW Premier\\u2019s Literary Award Caution required approaching politiciansDavid Crowe\\u2019s call for a dial-down of rhetoric () is spot on I stopped and said \\u201CJacinta Allan?\\u201C Attacks on MPs\\u2019 officesSince when have savage assaults on MPs\\u2019 offices qualified as \\u2019peaceful protest\\u2033\\u2063 That\\u2019s what Adam Bandt calls them (\\u2033\\u2063Bandt lashes PM on protester concerns\\u2033\\u2063 How many guns are too many?It was sickening to hear Donald Trump\\u2019s running mate J.D This is not newIt\\u2019s laughable that the recent reports of infiltration of the CFMEU by unsavoury elements is greeted with surprise by many in government while the opposition also seemed to not notice anything amiss in its long tenure as a government But I\\u2019d rather have new hospitals and improved funding for mental health.Michael Doyle with our corporate leaders \\u201Cinsisting that a vast expansion of firmed renewables not nuclear\\u201D is key to our energy security (\\u2033\\u2063Corporate leaders back renewables named Australia as \\u201Cone of the most attractive destinations for private capital to invest in the energy transition\\u201D in the world (\\u201CNSW battery funding deal sets world record\\u201D Investors are clear \\u2013 capturing our abundant sun and wind resources is an opportunity too good to miss School inequityThe Future Foundations for Giving report recommends ending the charitable status of 5000 school building funds which contributed $1.23 billion towards private school capital projects in 2022.Federal Assistant Minister for Charities Andrew Leigh will not support the proposal because he says \\u201Ca world-class education system is essential to tackling inequality driving economic growth and supporting secure jobs and our school system is a key part of it\\u201D.We will never have a world-class system as long as government schools are underfunded Inequality will never be addressed because Labor is too frightened to upset the powerful private and religious school lobbyists.It would be interesting to see a list of the so-called charities who supposedly generate \\u2033\\u2063the greatest net benefits for the community\\u2033\\u2063.I am not sure how segregating our young people into religious schools results in a net benefit.Margarete Lee of the 12 billion bullets produced annually?Consider the elderly civilian in a poor country shot when tending the small garden from which his family survived \\u2013 a thrill-kill by a passing soldier with one of the world\\u2019s billion-plus guns while immense suffering is callously labelled \\u201Ccollateral damage\\u201D Australia\\u2019s off-shore detention program reached $12 billion in cost since 2013.Barbara Chapman Call out IranPenny Wong\\u2019s \\u201Ctoughening\\u201D of the government\\u2019s stance towards Israel is clearly driven by domestic political considerations peaceful end to this latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Wong states that she\\u2019s been calling for a ceasefire for eight months Israel has been forced to fight defensive wars against Iran\\u2019s terrorist proxies toughened the government\\u2019s stance against Iran Fearless WongIt\\u2019s difficult to remember a more effective minister for foreign affairs than Penny Wong Her forthright condemnation of the suffering and death of Palestinians () is just the most recent example of the balanced and fearless way she represents the Australian government\\u2019s position in a world seemingly torn apart by political and factional disputes.Ken Barnes Jenna Price for your article (\\u201C\\u201D 19/7) questioning the anachronistic practice of the buck\\u2019s party The difficulty is in the event\\u2019s current form I heard of an imaginative alternative in a podcast \\u201CHow to redefine your buck\\u2019s party as a rite of passage\\u201D The emphasis was on the support and sense of community provided by the groom\\u2019s male friends Memorable momentAnother of Australia\\u2019s most memorable moments took place at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 In the final of the women\\u2019s 4x 100 metre relay Holding the manGreg Baum\\u2019s article on AFL rule changes reminds me of the simple rules we played under at a pedestrian amateur pace in the 1970s and holding the ball when tackled.Today\\u2019s players regularly flout four of those rules under the general tenor of \\u201Ckeeping the game flowing\\u201D the umpires tend to let many split-second rules transgressions pass without action CFMEUWhat better background soundtrack than Tammy Wynette\\u2019s Stand By Your Man for the private text messages of support sent to John Setka from federal and state Labor figures US electionIs it my imagination or is that bandage growing larger on Trump\\u2019s ear every day?Winston Anderson Enough is enough \\u2013 carpet slippers for Joe don\\u2019t overthink the buck\\u2019s night (Comment,) it\\u2019s only the blokes\\u2019 prelude to the wedding day We don\\u2019t need \\u201Cnew\\u201D research () to tell us there is more potential happiness in wealth than in poverty.Malcolm McDonald Re fixing the city\\u2019s bus problems \\u2013 first would be to get the bus heaters working.Simon Livesey FinallyThe \\u2033\\u2063efficiency benefits\\u2033\\u2063 of drone-delivered coffee ignores the ultimate efficiency \\u2013 make it yourself.Jenny Bone The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge The veteran member of parliament has endorsed the first Palestinian-Australian federal politician for her replacement The first Greek Australian woman to be elected to Federal Parliament will be taking a permanent break from politics come the next elections representing the Melbourne seat of Calwell for over two decades “I spoke to the Prime Minister a couple of weeks ago “I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while and we had pretty much decided that this would be my last term.” It will be 24 years next year since Vamvakinou entered politics “It’s almost a quarter of a lifetime.” The Lefkada-born politician who arrived in Australia with her family in 1963 at the age of four has said that she became politically active during her high school years while standing in solidarity with classmates who were political refugees “I joined one of my Uruguayan friends in going to Trades Hall to hand out leaflets I ended up staying there and helping out the migrant workers committee It kind of all started there,” she told SBS News Vamvakinou served first as a secondary-school teacher before becoming the first woman born in Greece to be elected Federal MP in Australia She has been a vocal proponent of diversity in political representation and has often become the federal voice backing issues close to the heart of multicultural communities she was the one government MP to attend a pro-Palestine protest outside Parliament House in Canberra In announcing her retirement the veteran Labor member officially endorsed Basem Abdo – a Palestinian Australian born in Kuwait to parents from a village in the occupied West Bank as her preferred replacement Vamvakinou knows Abdo who’s worked for her on two occasions “His background as Palestinian is becoming more relevant at the moment because of what’s going on in Palestine “His family are refugees from Palestine he has a deep understanding of the complexity of the issue “And this is a complex issue.” She says she believes Abdo will continue the advocacy for Palestine and beyond “He’s got interest in manufacturing so he fits the electorate very well.” the party’s final say will not be revealed for several weeks “We’ll have to wait for preselection.” Australia moving towards the recognition of Palestine is an issue the Veteran Labor MP has been advocating for “If we don’t get to that point where the Palestinians have their own self-reliance […] And things have to happen I hope that our government will get to that point like a lot of other European countries did last week.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated the Australian government’s “longstanding position” in support of a two state-solution “The right of Israel to exist within secure borders the right of Israelis to go about their lives in safety and security with prosperity but also the fundamental right of Palestinians to have safety security and prosperity as well,” she said Charlene Calwell is beaming with gratitude The Travel Agent Next Door advisor has just been selected Best Travel Agent in the 2024 Barrie Advance Readers’ Choice Awards She’s thankful be able to help her clients discover new experiences thankful for the daily support of her host agency and fellow advisors and values the strong relationships with her supplier partners she didn’t even know she was nominated until last week “I had a notification in my email on January 17th saying I was a Diamond Winner in the Barrie Advance Readers’ Choice Awards and I ignored it because I didn’t know I had even been nominated,” she tells Travel Market Report Thursday afternoon with a giggle Winning the Barrie Advance Reader’s Choice Diamond Award for Best Travel Agent is such an honour and I’m thrilled that it creates awareness for my business while also distinguishing me in the highly competitive travel industry.” Given her previous accolades—Gold (second place) last year and Platinum (first place) the year before in The Community Votes Barrie Awards for which she is in the running again this year —Calwell’s win should not have been entirely unexpected She is deeply moved by the community’s recognition and attributes her success to her genuine care for her clients and their travel experiences “A lot of people only take one holiday a year so they don’t want to leave it up to chance I think people are starting to realize that yes they can post on social media and ask their friends for suggestions but more people are now serious about wanting a professional travel advisor to help everyone wants to make sure that they’re going to get the best bang for their buck.” Calwell stressed that understanding clients involves listening to their needs and thinking intuitively she keeps the conversation active year-round “Listen to your client and just try to get a feel for what their needs are,” added Calwell “I have discovery forms that I have my clients fill out to give me a sense of their travel style then I do a zoom or face to face meeting to really dig in and find out exactly what they want “I might come across a pasta tour in Italy that I know a client would love so I reach out to them with the information.” Calwell is hoping to expand her business in 2025 and has already gotten a lot of requests for Greece Italy and other parts of Europe as well as river and ocean cruising which she expects will be tops again this year “It’s been fabulous being with the Travel Agent Next Door for almost ten years It was a little scary being brand new at first but I like to take care of people and have a strong customer service background Subscribe to TMR On Friday, March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Burma in Myanmar, with tremors felt in neighboring Thailand and China. MSC is also celebrating the coin ceremony for MSC World Asia and steel cutting for the MSC World Atlantic. The U.S. State Department has told Americans to “reconsider” travel to Jamaica since July 2024. The advisory targets new entry and exit requirements for Canadians traveling to the U.S. The U.K. and Germany have updated their travel advisories for the U.S. following the detainment of three German citizens at the border. Gardner has served as president of Amtrak since 2020, and as CEO since 2022. The ACT Government is continuing to invest in local shop upgrades across Canberra Lanyon and Calwell can now have their say on the preliminary designs of their local shops Upgrades have been focused on safety and access with additional improvements included to encourage Canberrans to spend more time in their suburbs and shop local To view the designs and find out how you can provide feedback, visit yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/local-shop-improvements. Feedback closes on Monday, 21 August 2023. Play Duration: 17 minutes 58 seconds17m Brought to you by Or have you chosen to be a mentor to others A group of Calwell High School students and their mentors are graduating from an award-winning mentoring program that has been operating for two years in the school industry leading youth mentoring organisation dedicated to providing support for teenagers in high schools across Australia One executive teacher at Calwell High describes the Raise mentoring intervention as a positive ‘game changer for the students taking part In 2024 Raise will be operating at Alfred Deakin High School Queanbeyan High School and Karabar High School Vicki Condon is the founder and CEO of Raise with program counsellor Donna Lambert, Calwell High School teacher Kellie Williams, and mentor Nicole Polson Published: 12h agoSun 4 May 2025 at 11:00pm Download the ABC listen app to text and call your favourite live radio Picture: Karleen MinneyMore territory public schools have moved to remote learning amid staffing shortages across the education system ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said on Tuesday All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueMs Berry said this was a "direct result of COVID" and that she did not know the number of independent schools that had also been forced to send students home The remote learning measures affect years four years seven and eight at Calwell High School five and six at Gordon Primary School and years three Campbell Primary School will have two days without students on Thursday and Friday to move into their new classrooms Canberra schools have been reporting staffing shortages for some time and say they have struggled to attract teachers to vacant positions On Tuesday, The Canberra Times revealed that WorkSafe issued a prohibition notice to Calwell High School after inspectors found teachers and administration staff were being abused screamed at and subjected to sexualised behaviour or violence from students on a daily basis The notice said teachers were regularly taking classes of more than 40 students due to chronic staffing shortages and COVID-19 absences Ms Berry said the ACT government had been "providing additional support [for] the Calwell school community implementing the positive behaviours for learning program to ensure that the school can have a positive and respectful culture." the school has been able to access as a priority the relief teaching pool to make sure that they can provide additional teachers when there are absences." She said COVID had "exacerbated the circumstances around [the] school" The Australian Education Union previously raised the issue of staff shortages and high workloads in June last year Our journalists work hard to provide local This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with an interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au Link copiedShareShare articleCCTV footage of a man who stabbed a patron during a bungled hold-up attempt at the Calwell Club in Canberra's south has been released by police in the hope someone will recognise the offender. The vision showed the man entering the Tuggeranong club about 2:30 on Sunday morning, waving a gun at staff as he demanded they get down on the floor. Darcy Thompson underwent surgery for his injuries yesterday. (Facebook: Darcy Thompson) He then threatens to take a woman hostage, before being chased out of the building by security. Three patrons gave chase, including local man Darcy Thompson. Mr Thompson caught up to the man in parkland across the street and was stabbed multiple times in the ensuing struggle, before his attacker escaped. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition and underwent surgery yesterday. On Facebook, Mr Thompson posted pictures of his injuries, including an apparent wound to his neck. "Nobody rob's [sic] my club without stabbing me first," Mr Thompson wrote. However police counselled the public against pursuing potentially violent offenders. "It is not worth risking your life when someone is carrying a weapon," Detective Senior Constable Alexandra Uren said at a press conference yesterday. The robber caught on CCTV has his face covered, but police urged anybody with information on his identity to call Crime Stoppers. own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment Australian National University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU View all partners March this year marked the 60th anniversary of a famous “gotcha” moment in 1963 when Labor leader Arthur Calwell and his deputy were photographed outside the Hotel Kingston in Canberra They were waiting for their party’s federal conference to settle a key election policy delegates – six from each state – deliberated The photographs and their hostile treatment in The Daily Telegraph the next day by journalist Alan Reid were damaging Reid decried Calwell’s “night watch” as “a sad commentary on the decline in status of Labor’s parliamentary leadership” The man coveting the prime ministership appeared to lack authority within his own party Liberal Prime Minister Robert Menzies exploited the incident even before one of his backbenchers coined a phrase that would enter the political lexicon the unfashionable Calwell could ill afford the slight By the time Whitlam finally crashed through to win the 1972 election Labor’s presentation had been more carefully calibrated to emphasise a party united behind its dominant Leaders of the major parties invariably attempt to project strength Just weeks before the 2007 election campaign, Labor’s Kevin Rudd unilaterally decreed that he alone would appoint his ministry, rather than the caucus. As The Sydney Morning Herald reported: With polls showing Labor heading for a landslide win at the looming federal election Mr Rudd said he would overturn the century-old practice of caucus and factions choosing the faces and the leader allocating portfolios would stress this resolve: “New Leadership” An ever-narrowing focus on leaders is sometimes lamented as the presidentialisation of Australian politics the shift of power from party members and cabinets to leaders exercising unfettered authority from the top an exhausted Paul Keating ran (unsuccessfully) on the last metric in which he held an advantage strong leader-centric marketing is seen as essential for re-election This has had noticeable effects such as the development of cult-like followings for premiers – think Daniel Andrews in Victoria and Mark McGowan in Western Australia – and a not-unrelated tendency of premiers and prime ministers to cling on remaining in the job long after it is in their party’s interests Some succumb to their own propaganda. In 2018, Scott Morrison rehearsed what would become a penchant for unilateral declarations by all but publicly sacking the chief executive of Australia Post, Christine Holgate, for what The Guardian Australia’s Katharine Murphy called Holgate’s “sins against the pub test” it would emerge Morrison had taken his infallible leadership prerogative so seriously he had secretly acquired a raft of cabinet portfolios A perverse advantage of the strong leader model is that replacing that leader can give a tired government a whole new look Yet it is an opportunity for renewal more often missed in practice largely because said changeover has to be initiated by the incumbent leader rather than the party Rudd’s momentum towards office in 2007 may well have been slowed had John Howard agreed to hand over to his treasurer Rudd had an advantage over the 11-year PM of being new and young But up against a newly installed Prime Minister Costello Labor’s Steve Bracks had even shown Howard the way rocking politics mid-way through 2007 by stepping down voluntarily as Victorian premier but he would also make their insistence known to voters His colleagues read that as a threat and backed off The Coalition was roundly defeated at the 2007 election Andrews may or may not provide Victorian Labor with this option. Over nine years as premier, he has become such a dominant figure that the Liberal opposition has descended into division and dysfunction. Even within Labor, no clear alternative to Andrews exists, although his deputy, Jacinta Allen, is the most likely Yet his dominance has led to high public exposure and probably helped polarise Victorian voters – especially during the pandemic Few Victorians can name other senior government figures evaluation of the premier is routinely reduced to the most simplistic of binaries via the competing hashtags Polls show the premier’s support is now declining suggesting even long-time backers believe he is approaching his “best-by date” A Resolve Political Monitor survey conducted for The Age and reported on August 17 found support for Labor softening – although it is still well ahead of the Liberal opposition – and charted a falling “likeability rating” for Andrews also Pollster Jim Reed told The Age it was the first time the premier had gone into negative territory with more people disliking him than liking His rating was minus seven compared to his Liberal counterpart Andrews still leads Pesutto easily on the preferred premier rating but even this was Andrews’ lowest such rating in two years This may be due to a series of controversies including the costly decision to scrap the 2026 Commonwealth Games December 2024 will mark a decade in office for the Labor premier and therefore the halfway point of the term (Elections in the garden state are held every four years Could this be the point at which Andrews calls time History suggests if a government is to change leader giving the replacement time to build a relationship with voters Would such a switch allow Victorian Labor to refresh in office rather than the usual term or more in opposition following a defeat These are the considerations some will be making as WA skirted COVID by closing its borders McGowan’s approval rating reached the highest recorded by any premier Yet he surrendered the WA premiership earlier this year having led Labor to its most electorally dominant position in its history In doing so he followed the example of a previous WA Labor leader who became premier in 2001 and relinquished the post in 2006 less than a year after securing a second term leaders have to be endured long past their popular high-water mark